Within the Murky Waters
by xoxo.Amethyzt.xoxo
Summary: Seconds ticked loudly as the numbers displayed in the orange sky descended. Nobody could see where the other tributes stood, and for the first time in hunger game history, there might not be a bloodbath. All they could see was mud, water and the tall grasses that made pathways for them. Leading them to what, they don't know. Welcome to the 124th Hunger Games. ***SYOT CLOSED***
1. The Arena

_**AU story in which the games where never stopped. Katniss won the 74th hunger games because Peeta ate the berries on accident before Foxface did.**_

**Rules: **

**1. NO MARY SUES! Or else :3 (meh I'll probably kill them off in the bloodbath)**

**2. No Volunteering for a younger sibling (Only Katniss gets to do that because she is special :) )**

**3. Tributes are only accepted through PM **

**4. If you submit a tribute its your job to keep them alive. If I don't maintain good contact with you while I'm writing about YOUR character, I can guarantee you that they will be the first to go. (If you are going on vacation or something like that, let me know. I just don't want to feel abandoned :/ )**

**5. Anyone who reviews becomes a sponsor (even if they don't have a tribute). I'll make chapter 3 the sponsor's list which I will keep updated :)**

**And those are the rules. Play nice :3 And may the odds be ever in your favor ;)**

* * *

He drummed his fingers on his desk, his eyes trained on the view of the enormous window to his right. Adrastus Torrance fixed his steely silver gaze on the Capitol below – the lights from various citizens still on despite the ungodly hour. Having been the head Gamemaker since the 97th Hunger Games he was used to waking up in the middle of the night because of his nightmares – his beautiful nightmares that inspired the arenas in each game. It was his last year as the head game maker, and he had vowed to himself that he would go out with a bang. The 124th games would be memorable, of that he would make sure.

A young man walked in, hair ruffled from sleep and similar grey eyes still drowsy as he stumbled over to him.

"Father? Its 3:37 in the morning, could this have waited until the sun came up?" Theo, his nineteen year old son, rubbed his eyes. His father hoped his son would change his mind about early mornings quickly, since he would be the next head Gamemaker.

"I know what the arena will look like this year." Adrastus drawled and instantly captured Theo's attention.

The young man closed the distance between his father and him, sitting down on the other side of the desk.

"What is it?" he asked, a look of excitement in his eyes.

His father gave him a small smile, the curled white mustache on his upper lip standing out like a flurry of snow on his father's face.

"A couple centuries ago son, there was an area of the US called the Everglades. Did you ever learn about that in school?"

Theo scrunched his eyes. _The Everglades?_

"A swamp, dad? Really?" He shook his head at the absurdity of the theme.

"Not just any swamp son… The Everglades were much more than that… Much more" he mumbled the last bit to himself before meeting his sons eyes once again.

"Our arena this year will be an Everglades type of setting. Essentially, it will be one big marsh, with a lot of mud and tall grasses. No fruit trees, no berry bushes. If they want to want to eat, they'll have to catch their food."

That perked up his son's interest.

"Now you're talking" he said with a smirk on his face.

"Now, this bit of the arena is my own twist. The sun will be directly overhead for an hour every day. The rest of the time it'll be a dark twilight. I think a nice and romantic hazy orange light will make things quite nice." He smiled, his lips stretching across his face.

His son shook his head.

"You're too much father. It's perfect. I'm sure the lighting of the arena will make it hard to see…problems… ahead" Theo patted his father on the back, still smirking.

"I only hope that I'm as good a Gamemaker as you one day"

***Tribute Form***

Name-

Age-

Gender-

District-

Hair-

Eyes-

Facial features-

Special characteristics (scars, tattoo etc)-

Height-

Weight-

Personality-

Background (family, friends, relationships etc) -

Reaping outfit-

Reaped/Volunteered (If volunteered state why)-

District token-

Bloodbath (yes, no, or maybe)-

Strengths (Be realistic! List at least 4) –

Weaknesses (Being scared of miscellaneous things are not a weakness, it's a phobia xD List at least 4) –

Strategy for the games –

Weapon of choice – (Only one :P )

Preferred way of dying (just in case) -


	2. Tribute List

The Official Tribute List

_District 1_

Male- **Caine St. Clare; 18**

Female- **Jewel Turner; 15**

_District 2_

Male- **Urban Cardio; 16**

Female- **Taryn Storm; 14**

_District 3_

Male- **Jak Wire; 13**

Female- **Arianna Everson; 16**

_District 4_

Male- **Oceus Titan; 18**

Female- **Nerine Delmar;17**

_District 5_

Male- **Matthew Dawson; 14**

Female- **Indigo Mink; 13**

_District 6_

Male- **Ulysses Dank; 15**

Female- **Nadia Silver; 17**

_District 7_

Male- **Thaddeus Hartwidge; 17**

Female- **Robin Santiago; 16**

_District 8_

Male- **Benjamin Evers; 14**

Female- I**sabella Schist; 15**

_District 9_

Male- **Archibald Rastabyer; 15**

Female- **Wren North; 16**

_District 10_

Male- **Nyall Tusway, 17**

Female- **Althea Winters; 18**

_District 11_

Male- **Spade Green; 14**

Female- **Ivory Hove; 15**

_District 12_

Male- **Phil Shlarfgen; 16**

Female- **Sirius Gallor; 12**

* * *

**This list will be updated as statuses change. It will show if a tribute is dead, hurt, sick, or in good health as the games start. This will make it a lot easier on the sponsors so that they know what items the tribute would most appreciate :) The Sponsor list will be up next as I recieve more tributes :) I'm gonna leave out who made up which character in order to make it a little bit more interesting for the sponsors :P**


	3. Sponsor's Page

**Point System**

_Reviewing story- 5pts_

_Favorite story – 25pts_

_Favorite Author- 30pts_

_Following story- 15pts_

_Following Author- 15pts_

_PM me a suggestion- 10pts_

_Submit a Tribute- 50pts_

_Tribute dies- 25pts_

_Tribute kills a non-career- 20pts_

_Tribute kills a career – 30pts_

_Tribute wounds a non-career- 15pts_

_Tribute wounds a career- 20pts_

* * *

**Active Sponsors**

_KitKat1425 (105pts)_

_LouisVuittonluver (115pts)_

_Pulchertudinous (90pts)_

_Aezombie96 (220pts)_

_CaPrIcOrN HoNk (170pts)_

_lala83 (50pts)_

_SparrowCries (235pts)_

_FireBreadandSnares (65pts)_

_DesolationRow (85pts)_

_Audmirable (50pts)_

_Rainbowteeth8 (90pts)_

_x-fire_is_catching (65pts)_

_Hutsune (125pts)_

_nicci'weezy (170pts)_

_XxHGFanBoyxX (115pts)_

_WhispersOfBliss (55pts)_

_Kaitlandia_101 (130pts)_

_Cashmere67 (15pts)_

_DoomMace (80pts)_

_Elijah Gerard {guest} (20pts)_

_Your Biggest Fan {guest} (5pts)_

* * *

**Sponsor's Store**

_Food and Drinks_

Bottle without water- 2pts

Bottle filled with water- 8pts

District bread- 5pts

Other district's bread- 6pts

Soup with vegetables – 15pts

Soup with vegetables and meat (Any kind)-20pts

Fruits- 4-12pts (depending on which type)

Energy drink- 14pts

Meal without meat- 20pts (feeds 2)

Meal with meat- 30pts (feeds 2-3)

Other- 2-40pts (depends on what it is)

_Clothing_

Rubber boots – 35pts

Rain jacket without hood -40pts

Rain jacket with hood- 45pts

Clean essentials (undergarments) – 15pts

Rubber Gloves- 8pts

_Weapons_

Sword- 25pts

Scythe- 15pts

Jacket full of knives- 25pts

Trident- 70pts

Army knife- 5pts

Dagger- 10pts

Rope- 5pts

Axe- 25pts

Saw- 20pts

Darts (without poison) – 1pt a piece

Darts (with poison)-5pts a piece

Poison kit- 50pts

Harpoon- 60pts

Bow and Arrows (12 arrows) – 32pts

Spear- 20pts

Whip - 30pts

Other- 5-80pts (depending on type)

_Miscellanous_

Flashlight- 5pts

Watertight sleeping bag- 25pts

Double Watertight sleeping bag- 30pts (sleeps 2)

Chapstick- 10pts

Box of matches- 4pts

Firestone- 7pts

Paperclip- 1pt

Paperweight- 2pts

Small tool set- 15pts

Mosquito Repellant - 10pts

_Medicine_

Aspirin- 2pts per tablet

Burn Ointment 20pts

Cough syrup- 10pts

Asthma inhaler- 30pts

Snake anti-venom – 10-50pts (depending on snake bite)

Arm Sling- 9pts

Peptobismol- 12pts

Band-aid – 1pts a piece

Gauze- 5pts a piece

Antibiotic cream- 25pts

Other- 5pts-90pts (depending on med)

* * *

**As with the Tribute page, this will be kept updated with new point scores and the store will expand once we start the games :) Btw, for those who've already sent in a tribute, feel free to send another one, like a bloodbath to increase the chances of your tribute going farther in the games :D**


	4. AN

**Hi guys, this is just author's note encouraging you all to please send in tributes. I'll at least need district 1 and 2 positions filled before I can go ahead with the story. Lot's of positions available and I'd love it if I got more tributes :)**

Thank you all so, so, so much, and may the odds be ever in your favor ;)

** .xoxo**

**Plus, shout out to some great SYOT stories you should read**

**First check out Pulchertudinous's story "****Fairy Tales: The 100th Hunger Games"**

******And lala83's story "What Lurks in the Dark". That one is still open :) So send her some tributes too :)**

******I'll start as soon as I get tributes for 1 and 2 (male spot for 2 still open btw!)**


	5. District 1 Reapings

He awoke before the crack of dawn as usual on that Friday morning. Caine was used to it – the Academy started promptly at five-thirty in the morning six days a week. As he stretched his neck, he managed to form a small grin on his lips as he thought about today's event. It was finally his year to volunteer for the games, and he was thrilled. He would be back home in a couple of weeks of course, there was nothing to worry about. He'd just come home to a bigger house, more money, and more _girls._ Oh, they would be all over him once he became a victor, Caine was sure of it.

He jumped out of his bed, throwing the covers on top of the figure who was sleeping besides him.

"Caine?" A groggy voice rang out from the mess of covers, and in a couple of seconds a blonde head popped out, green eyes half-closed.

Caine stopped in front of his bathroom door. He shook his head and snorted lightly as he saw the girl stretch and yawn delicately. He knew she was as delicate as a mound of coal.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked, an incredulous look on his face.

"I… Last night? We-" she started to reply.

"Get your clothes and get out. I have a reaping to prepare for." He turned his back on her and went inside the bathroom, hoping he wouldn't have to deal with her once he came out.

* * *

Jewel awoke in a fit of rage - Red, blinding poisonous rage. It was her day to sleep in, it being reaping day and whatever. She didn't really care. The coaches at the academy decided that it wasn't her year. _The hell it was_… They rambled on about how she really needed to wait until she was 18 and blah, blah, blah. It was all just a load of crap. She knew that they knew that she was a thousand times better than _Esmeralda Stone_– the beautiful brunette with the shining green eyes who everyone just absolutely drooled over.

It made her sick.

So she stomped her way downstairs to meet her equally infuriating family, who with their rambunctious racket had woken her up. Having 8 brothers and sisters really took a takes a toll on you. Her little sister Jade looked at her with her big doe eyes, her auburn hair mussed up as if she had just got up- she probably just did too. It _was_ only seven o'clock. Jewel did manage to get in three extra hours of sleep compared to her normal morning, but she was still moody. She had planned to sleep all the way until 10:30 when she had to get ready for the stupid reaping at noon.

"Where's mom and dad?" she asked Joe, who was only a year older than her.

"They're not at store" Jack, her other brother replied sarcastically.

Jewel made a face at him, scrounging up her eyes and pursing her lips before shaking her head. She knew her parents weren't at work, everyone has the day off for the reaping.

"They're asleep" Her sister Jasmine stated softly, her eyebrows furrowed in worry.  
Jewel knew why she was acting so meek this morning. One of the reasons she doesn't get along with Jasmine –especially at the moment- is because her best friend happens to be the one and only Esmeralda.

"Hope she dies" Jewel muttered under her breath.

"What. Did. You. Just. Say?" Jasmine stares daggers across the glass table at Jewel who shrugs her shoulders.

"At least its not you going into the games" a soft voice breaks through the thick silence.

Jade looks at her sister meaningfully, the dislike of the games evident on her face.

Jewel just snorts.

"You're weak"

* * *

Caine exits the shower in a good mood, humming an upbeat tune. He walks into his bedroom and sees that the girl in gone and smiles to himself. They sure get the message real quickly – a two hours waiting for someone to get out of a shower does that to you. Glancing at the clock on his dresser, he sees that the time reads 6:47 – about five hours till the reaping.

He slips on a pair of boxers and old jeans, making his way down to the kitchen where he could smell bacon and eggs. His mom was up and making breakfast, as she always does on reaping day. He came up behind her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

She grunts and gives him a pointed look. Caine sighs and runs a hand through his mop of brown hair.

"You saw her, didn't you?"

His mother simply nodded.

"Umm… sorry?" he smirked as his mom swatted him lightly with a towel.

"That's the fourth one this month, Caine. Don't get fresh now"

"Fourth one, already?" A familiar voice made its way downstairs. His big sister, Sutton dramatically sashayed her way down the staircase. "Oh Caine, it would be dream to be your wife" she fanned herself as she leaned on the banister for support.

Caine chuckled, and his sister ran over to him and mussed up his hair.

"My wee little brother is becoming a womanizer, its what every big sister dreams about"

His mother, Sharka St. Clare, sighed loudly.

"I would ground you, but since it's my last day with you" she kissed Caine's forehead.

"I'm coming back, mom. I'm gonna win" he said arrogantly, a confident smile on his face.

"You better" his father looked up from the diamond he was inspecting on the kitchen table, the magnifying head gear making him look like an old cyborg.

"Have I ever disappointed you, dad?" Caine leaned against the kitchen counters, arms crossed in front of him.

Satin St. Clare looked at his son, and stared at him seriously.

"Not yet"

* * *

Jewel exited her house at around 9:30, no use getting ready early for the reaping. It was going to be nothing special anyways. She just left the house in sweats and a tank top, deciding to go for a late morning run around the district to get let off some steam. She was used to doing five to six miles in the academy, but due to the time shortage she decided to just go for four miles.

She was running past the general store when she saw a familiar face huddled in the shadows of an alley. Taking a headphone off her ear, her acute hearing picked sounds of crying. Jewel ran over to the shape and was surprised when she met Esmeralda's tear stricken face.

"Why in the hell are you crying?" she demanded, a leer on her face.

Esmeralda's mouth opened as if to speak a couple of times, but she quickly clamped it shut afterwards and just sobbed. Jewel couldn't believe it. Here she had _the _Esmeralda Stone, crying like a little baby. It was then she noticed the test on the floor with the little plus sign.

Oh.

Ohhh…

This day couldn't have taken a better turn.

* * *

Caine was ready. He was pumped.

He was so going to win.

He finished applying some cologne to his neck, and then adjusted his white button-up shirt's collar a bit.

"Well, well, don't you look spiffy?" A female voice invaded his room and he turned to see his best friends Ruby Sloan and Lex Luzuri standing at the doorway.

Caine instantly smiled, and walked over to greet them.

"You ready?" Lex asked, a smile on his face. They became friends during their years in the academy, but Lex dropped out last year to help his dad manage the family gold mine. He was a good friend, and the managing a business fit him better than training to kill. Lex was much too good-humored for that.

"What do you think, stupid?" Ruby bumped Lex with her hip, teeth showing as she teased him. Ruby was definitely one of a kind. This year was her last to participate in the games, but she never really cared for them anyways so the fact that Esmeralda was picked to volunteer didn't faze her. Plus she didn't want to kill her best friend so that worked out fine. Ruby was sure Caine could take her on.

"Well, let's get going, I don't want to be late, now do I?" Caine walked by his friends, occupying his favorite position of leading, and made his way to the town square where the reaping is held.

* * *

Jewel was ecstatic as she quickly showered and dressed in a green sundress and her nicest brown flats. In the end, she was getting what she ultimately wanted.

Sure the coaches at the academy would be furious once they found out but…

Who would they rather have?

A strong, able bodied fifteen year old, or a broken, pregnant eighteen year old?  
The choice was easy. They would understand once she came home as a victor. Even Jade would appreciate the games then, and Jasmine better be happy because she just saved her best friend from humiliation.

Jewel ran down the stairs as she frantically ran her hands through her auburn hair to fix it as much as possible. She fingered her bangs, getting them absolutely perfect.

She got to the town square in time to see Sparkle Tomz prance onto the stage, primping her too-yellow hair to perfection as she made her way to the microphone.

* * *

They were forced to watch the dreadful video once again, the one about the rebels. Sparkle Tomz leaned lazily against the railing on the stage, trying to hold in a yawn and keep a smile in place. After six years escorting District 1, the video gets a little old. But, before she could fall asleep, the video ended and she was able to go through the motions of picking a name from the reaping jar.

She knew there were going to be volunteers. There was always a good amount of them dying to be reaped.

"Let's start with our lovely handsome men" She announced brightly as she reached her hand into the bowl on her left.

"Angus Cyt-" She started.

"I VOLUNTEER!" A deep voice echoed from the back – where the 18 year olds stood and a boy of pretty good height and muscular build walked on stage.

"My name is Caine St. Clare and I am 18 years old" He said into the microphone.

"My, such build" Sparkle giggled at the handsome young man. "Ladies, it's your turn"

She reached into the jar on her right, pulling out a slip of paper.

"Luzmyrna Sati-"  
"I VOLUNTEER!" A voice sprang out from the middle of the group, and more than one person was surprised to see a young girl walk up onto the stage. Caine wondered briefly where Esmeralda was, but dismissed it as he saw who it was.  
Little Jewel, always thinking she's a big and bad girl. He shook his head amused. Oh he'd have no problem getting rid of her.

Jewel reached the stage and brought the microphone closer to her.

"My name is Jewel Turner and I am 15 years old"

_And I am going to win, _she thought to herself, shaking Caine's hand before departing from the stage with the peacekeepers.

_This is my year_, both tributes thought to themselves, _I am so going to win._

* * *

**What did you all think? I'm really trying to get in depth with the tributes during the reaping because I feel like these are the only chapters that are really going to be all about them. Its a chance for you all to get to know them a bit better before the games :)  
Still waiting on a D2 male tribute in order for me to continue. Once I have one, I'll write the reapings for D2 **

**Until next time,**

** .xoxo**


	6. District 2 Reapings

Urban hadn't slept at all during the night. He spent it crouched by his window, looking out into the empty, cold street. The position caused extreme discomfort, and strained his upper thighs like hell, but he stayed put for more than six hours. Only when the sun rose up fully and illuminated the dark alley did he switch into a sitting position.

It was part of his training for the games- getting used to being uncomfortable for long periods of time. Yenseng, his coach at the Training Academy actually recommended it. He told him that once your body gets used to pain, nothing will faze you.

Nothing.

He needed the pain. It was the only thing that was keeping him sane.

He stretched out his thighs, stiff from the long night, and when he was ready, he made his way downstairs quietly, running a hand through his wild mop of red curls, hoping not to wake anyone. Of course, Rhon was already awake –sitting at the kitchen table with a steaming mug of coffee in his hands and staring directly at him.

"Jealous?" He inquired, taking a sip of coffee. Urban knew exactly what he was talking about, and it wasn't the cup of coffee. This year was Rhon's year to volunteer as tribute for the Hunger Games, Urban's disturbing obsession, and his brother was using every opportunity he had to rub it in his face, leering at how _he _would bring home the victory.

"No. I don't envy a dying man" Urban replied, his voice burning like acid.

His brother laughed at his words. Everyone, including Urban, knew Rhon had a good chance of winning. They shared the same hue of blue eyes, but Rhon's dark brown hair made a startling contrast against them. He had everything a District 2 Tribute should have – the great looks, the menacing build, the bloodthirst…

To Rhon, nothing could go wrong in his games. He'd win and come back in one piece.

To Urban, Rhon could just go ahead and die in the bloodbath. Maybe his father will realize once and for all who the better of the two sons is.

* * *

"Is that the best you can do!? COME ON, SWEETIE! HURT ME" Brandon Storm held his daughter in a headlock, the waning sunlight barely casting enough glow on their figures to see each other.

Taryn struggled against her father's grip, seething from the lack of air and anger at her father holding her in such a commanding position. She ripped herself from his arms and launched a sequence of attacks she had practiced at the academy.

Kick, duck, grab, pull, twist, punch, evade, and roll.

Too bad her father had been trained in the same academy, and was awaiting her moves.

He always one step ahead of her, no matter what she did. Grasping her wrist as she fell painfully to the floor he leered at her.

"You forget that I attended the Academy once upon a time too, Taryn. You're going to have to get better on your hand-to-hand combat. If not, you'll die in the bloodbath, no doubt about it."

"Wouldn't you love that" she muttered, wiping away at the grass stains on her black sweatpants as she got up, with no help from her father of course.

"You're going to have to work on your attitude if you want to come back alive. Sponsors hate a snarky tribute" He began to walk towards their house, not even glancing back at her.

Taryn didn't respond. She wanted out – out of her parent's house, out of the academy, out of District 2. She fixed her blue-green eyes into the mountains behind her backyard, releasing her wavy dark locks from the ponytail and making the hike she does every reaping. It was still pretty dark out, so she guessed that it was around six in the morning. She had plenty of time.

The hike was something she had to do every reaping. She had been doing it since she turned 12, reaping age. It was the first year she realized that she was going to go into the games for sure, since she was already training with the 14 year olds. Two years later and she is training with the 17-18 year olds, the ones competing for the volunteer spot. This year's male tribute was going to be Rhon Cardio, and the female volunteer was Erin Firtle. She was better than her, but understood the trainer's choice to save her for next year's quell.

But she still wanted out. And she would risk her trainer's wrath if she had to. She just had to leave before she lost her entire humanity. Lord knows she's lost most of it already.

* * *

It was about 9:30 in the morning when Urban's father, Juleus, decided to join them in the living room. Rhon was lifting weights in the far left of the room, grunting with effort as he neared his fiftieth set. Juleus blatantly ignores Urban, sprawled on the couch and munching on some cereal, and makes a definite beeline for his eldest son. He places an extra 20 pounds on each side of the weight, and Rhon nearly buckles.

"Come on son, just 10 more sets. No need to stress yourself out today, but you still want to keep in shape for when you start training at the center in the capitol" He patted his son's back, his eyes warm with affection and expectation. Rhon gave a father a strained smile, muscles bulging with effort as he continued his exercise.

"As for you, why don't you go for a jog? Burn some of that fat off" Juleus pointed at Urban with his chin.

"What fat?" Urban asked, mouth full of cereal.

"The one you'll gain if you keep eating like that" his father took his food away from him, shaking his head in disapproval.

"You know you're in a strict liquid diet to increase your muscle ratio" he dumped the contents into the trash, and Urban sighed in defeat.

"I always have to increase my muscle ratio" Urban growled, getting up out of the couch and walking to the door.

"If you would just follow Rhon's example you –"

Urban didn't hear what his father had said. He was too busy slamming the door.

"Rough morning?" A sweet, melodic voice interrupted his fuming.

"Terri, hi…." He glanced towards the girl, unable to help the small smile that formed on his lips.

"Your brother?" She asked, tucking a blonde strand of hair behind her ear and looking at him with her big brown eyes.

Urban shook his head. "My dad."  
"Come on, let's walk." She smiled and took his forearm, and he let his closest female friend lead him away from the root of all his anxiety. But her longing glance at his house, and knowing that her thoughts at the moment revolved his brother Rhon, broke his heart. If a career had a heart, which he was starting to doubt they had.

* * *

Taryn stared out into the city below her, already bustling with activity despite the hour. It would have been normal for any other day, but it being the Reaping, most businesses were supposed to be closed. She could see the Peacekeeper's headquarters, the large mountain looming over the district, and instantly thought about how she wished it would collapse while her father was there. Dying from suffocation was nice acceptable way for her father to leave this world.

She could just picture him now, writhing on the floor, gasping for much needed breaths, and realizing that there was no air to take in.

She smiled.

It should have bothered her –the fact that she so blatantly wanted her father dead, but she was acting on animalistic instincts, and they told her that in order for her to lead her own pack, she had to kill the alpha.

And his arrogant and degrading commands and yells towards her definitely pointed him out as the alpha.

Her mother didn't matter. Krystin Storm was never around. She never apologized for her husband's conduct, she rarely ever gave Taryn a second glance.

And to be honest, it didn't bother her. She had long ago given up on believing in family – in believing in being _close_ to people. All she needed was her mountain, the only thing that remained constant throughout her life. Whenever her dad hit her across the face after missing a training day, or when her mom forgot about her and left her locked in the stone vault in the peacekeeper's mountain on "Take your child to Work" day when she was six. The mountain always shadowed her, always had her back.

It was more than she could say for her parents.

As for friends?  
There was no one in District 2 who was nearly as bloodthirsty or animalistic as her. No one had been in almost fifty years. The only people she could compare herself to were Cato and Clove.

And in the end, they proved to be more human than anyone thought –_ Falling in love_ and all.

She snickered in the halls of the training academy when she heard girls whisper to each other –_You can't be seen with him. You don't want to become a Clove. _

She doubled over in malicious laughter when she heard boys taunt each other in the locker room – _Dude, you're turning into a Cato. Don't let her get into your head._

So she stayed away from people. She laughed at their miseries and frowned at their joy. She was messed up, she knew that.  
But she was who she was, and there was nothing that would change that.

* * *

Urban looked at the clothes laid out on his bed. After he came home from his walk with Terri, his dad had ordered him upstairs to go clean-up for his brother's "big day". He had even picked out what Urban was supposed to wear.

_How endearing…_

His father definitely had a theme going on in his head when he picked his clothes.

White button down shirt, grey slacks, black tie, and black shoes…

His father wanted him to blend in with crowd so as not to steal attention away from his brother.

Oh but Urban had something much more flashy in mind. His mother would have been proud. She would have ran her fingers through his coppery red hair and dabbed his nose with the tip of her finger telling him how much she loved him.

Sometimes he thought that his father resented him so much because his mother had doted on him excessively while she had been alive.

He thought about her as he picked out his best black slacks and turquoise button-down shirt, the bluish hue making a startling contrast against his flaming hair. He slipped on a black vest and smirked at himself in the mirror.

Much better…

He felt his father's gaze as he walked out the door in his outfit, swearing he could feel his father's hot anger penetrating through the walls of his house. Halfway through to the town square he met up with his best friend Cashe, who instantly picked up on his mood.

"Are you ready to get rid of Rhon?" he asked, a joking glint in his eyes.

"I'm always ready to see him die- The sooner the better. Then Dad will understand that I am the true winner" Urban walked with him to the section roped off for the 16 year olds.

"Well, if I would've gone in instead of him –" Cashe began.

"You would've been back here in the blink of an eye" Urban finished.

"We could hope" Cashe sighed, walking off to where the 18 year olds stood.

Urban sighed too, and waited for Stan Wallace to get onstage and begin the reaping.

* * *

Taryn had come home to an empty house.

Normal, of course…

Her parents are usually never there anyways and she didn't give a damn where they were at the moment. Or in any moment really, they could fall off the face of the Earth and she'd be perfectly fine with it.

She walked into her room, took a quick shower and then dressed quickly for the Reaping. She slipped on a simple grey cotton dress that reached her knees. The cap sleeves and dipped neckline were the only things differentiating this dress from all her other grey dresses. It was her mother's, or so she thinks. She never really thought to ask. Before she left, she remembered to slip on her nice black flats, and only runs her hand through her hair to arrange it.

Taryn walks to the town square slowly, taking her time because she'd rather be back at the top of her mountain watching the Reaping. It's not her year anyways…

"TARYN!" Her father's voice booms out and her mood turn livid.

"What?" She snaps as she turns around.

"I heard from your trainer that you skipped yesterday's class." The look in his eyes is crazy, and if Taryn had been truly human, she'd have been scared.

"Yeah… So?"

He gripped her by both of her wrists, dangling her painfully off the ground.

"You're already worthless, do you acting out is really call attention? Nobody cares if you die in next year's games but me. Don't make me change" He released her, dropping her sharply to the concrete.

Taryn was aware of everyone's eyes as she made her way to the 14 year old section, fingering the army knife in her dress pocket.

She needed to get out… She needed to leave.

* * *

Stan Wallace waited patiently for the video to finish. It was his second year escorting District 2, and he was hoping to bring home another victor this year. Last year's winner, Valium Quart, had come from this very district, and the monetary reward he received for escorting him was enough to convince him to stick with District 2.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe it's time to draw the names" He grinned, showing his pearly whites and fixed his electric blue hair with the tip of his fingers before reaching into the bowl on his right.

"Ladies, first" He chuckled, knowing that the second the name was read someone would volunteer. "Laura Macint-"  
"I VOLUNTEER!" a voice belted out somewhere in the eighteen year old section, but before the girl could make it to the stage, a knife flew through the crowd and embedded itself in her thigh. The girl screamed in agony, and a rather young girl emerged, tall for her age.

"I volunteer" She said into the microphone. She was breathing heavy, and dead silence spread over the crowd. "My name is Taryn Storm and I am 14 years old, and I volunteer"

To avoid any riots, Stan Wallace continued on with the Reaping.

"Great. Its nice to see such a spirited tribute" He forced a smile. "Gentlemen, you're next"  
He reached into the glass bowl on his left and grabbed a slip of paper.

"Urban Cardio" He read into the microphone. Everyone waited for the volunteer, but his voice never rang out. Stan noticed a red-headed boy making his way onto the stage. His eyes were locked on someone in the crowd, but he didn't know who.

"My name is Urban Cardio and I am sixteen years old." The boy said, his voiced laced thickly with both disbelief and thrill.

Stan had no idea what to think about his tributes…

* * *

**Whew this one was pretty hard to write. Both tributes are really messed up in the head.. Really angsty chapter.**

**Hehe little Clato mention for all the Cato/Clove shippers :3**

**Hope you all liked it, and let me know what you thought about it :)  
.xoxo**


	7. District 3 Reapings

Jak Wire tossed in his sleep. His head trashed from side to side on his pillow as he mumbled nonsense phrases.

"_Mami… Ma no te vallas." _(Mom.. Ma don't go) he whispered, his eyes half-open in his incoherent daze.

He turned his body so that he was lying on his side, arm slung over the small cot and fingers grazing the cold wooden floors. It was then that he jolted awake, the painfully cold sending sharp jolts into his burned fingertips.

His eyes opened slowly, his small room still dark despite the hour. The sun had risen a while before, but Jak's midnight blue curtains gave his room an everlasting dark when they were drawn – which he had to admit was quite often. He needed the dark to work on his projects. The sun provided a lot of light, which was nice when working with intricate parts, but when working with reflective metals and wires, it created a glare that made it hard to see.  
So he chose to work by lamp light, opting for artificial yellow light than the sun's golden rays.

His mind instantly turned to the device he had left half-finished during his restless night. Jumping out of bed quickly, the thirteen year old boy dove into his work chair, grabbing a pair of pliers and instantly picking up the wire he had left off on during the night.

It was going to be a present for his dad, something he had been working on for weeks.

His dad worked at the factory making engine parts for the capitol's train cars. He was rarely home, and he hoped his small invention would at least lessen his time with each part, so he wouldn't have to work so long and he'd have time to spend with him.

It was his only wish, to have more time with the only person that mattered.

* * *

"Honey" A hand shook at her shoulder softly "Its time to get up, Arianna" A soft whispered voice said.

Arianna Everson groaned, her body rolling itself into a ball, her head touching her knees through the thin worn sheet.

She heard a sigh and then felt her mother's fingertips grazing her forehead as she brushed her fingers through her raven hair.

"If you don't get up now, we won't have time before your stepdad wakes up" Her mother smiled sadly, and Arianna slowly opened her eyes.

Today was the Reaping.

She got out of bed slowly and quietly, so as not to disrupt her stepsister, Leda. The last thing she wanted was for the bratty fourteen-year old to find where her and her mother were going. It was barely dawn outside, and she had a feeling that if Leda woke up, so would Edison, and she feared the consequences that would bring.

Today was a special morning after all…

Arianna dressed quickly, just throwing on a pair of old jeans and an old grey t-shirt, and heading out the door with her mother as quiet as mice. Her mother had in one hand a wreath of wildflowers, and in the other she held a thermos filled with hot tea. Coffee was expensive in District 3, a commodity that most civilians did not have the opportunity to purchase.

But hot tea always did the job.

They walked in silence, falling into step together, their backs to the rising sun as they walked to the backwoods of District 3.

To visit her father- her real father.

* * *

Jak Wire ran out of his room, wild-eyed and ecstatic. He clutched the device into his chest with both hands, sprinting from one end of the house to the other, all the while shouting for his dad.

"_Papi! Papi! Adivina que?" _(Dad! Dad! Guess what?) He stopped in the living room, aware for the first time that the house was dead silent.

No humming of the open fridge, no hisses made while healing burned fingers, no incessant typing on the computer.

He sagged down visibly, his shoulders deflating in disappointment.

It was the Reaping today. Factory workers had the day off to spend time with their families… It was the one day a year Jak could truly count on spending the whole day with his dad. It was _their_ day…

Just then, he heard the front door open, and a man's labored breathing entering the house.

A couple shuffles interrupted the silence, his dad slipping his work boots off, and then heavy tired steps in the direction of the kitchen.

Jak managed a small smile. At least he was here now...

"_Papi? Eres tu?" _(Dad? Is it you?) He made his way to the kitchen, his small invention still in his arms.

"_Si, Jak. Estoy en la cocina_" (Yeah, Jak. I'm in the kitchen) his voice rang out, tired and hungry.

He connected the blanks in his head and realized his father had just come home. He hadn't stopped working last night. He'd done it before, obviously, it brought in a little more money that helped keep Jak off of signing on for tesserae.

"Dad, look what I made for you." The young boy showed his father the small square box, smiling to himself when his father's face lit up. "_Te va hacer tu trabajo mas facil"_ (It'll make your job easier)

His father sat down at the ratty kitchen table, the wrought iron chair creaking under his heavy frame.

"_Vamos a ver, dejame adivinar lo que hace" _(Let's see, let me guess what it does) He looked up at his eager son, laughing a bit when he saw his expectant face.

Victor Wire tampered around with the small metal box, touching the edges and the planes to see what would happen. His burned fingertips pressed down on the middle and to his delight, a screwdriver tip slid out. He pressed the center again, and the tip began to spin.

"An electric screwdriver… Just what I needed" He smiled at his only son before pulling him into a warm embrace. "Hay mi hijo, que haria sin ti" (Oh son, what would I do without you?)

* * *

Arianna and her mother kneeled by the makeshift rock headstone that marked her father's grave. They have been coming to visit him every year on the Reaping for the past fifteen years. Her mother began the tradition for her first Reaping Arianna would witness at age 1, even though she didn't remember it. Her father, John Everson, had died in the hunger games sixteen years ago, when he was 18 and her mother didn't even know she was pregnant with her until after he passed away.

Bloodbath, naturally.

From the stories Arianna used to hear when she was little, her father was the most intelligent and gentle man – Well young man, anyways… Lise, her mother, had always assured her that he would have loved her very much, and would have done anything for her. As much as she trusted her mother, Arianna resented the fact that the capitol took him away from her. They took the opportunity for her to meet him, to love him, to sit in his lap on lazy afternoons…

All things all girls she knew had grown up with and taken for granted.

And here she was, wanting the only thing that was ever taken away from her and her mother that sent them into a downward spiral in which the path eventually led them to Edison and Leda. Her mother had to keep food on the table somehow, and being a widowed woman in District 3 was not the most ideal position.

Her mother gently took the empty cup of hot tea from her hands and got up from the ground.

"I'm going to go take a breather" She smiled sadly at her daughter, who's green eyes seemed to bore into John's grave marker.

As soon as she heard her mother's footsteps fade in the distance, she let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding.

"Hi, Dad" Her voice sounded raw.

"It's my fourth reaping this year. I'm sixteen now, and mom says that every day I look more and more like you. I hope that's a good thing" She smiled, her eyes still fixed on the grave.

"So I guess we have a lot of catching up to do. Terrance Jones asked me to the Electronics' Festival in two weeks, and you'll be happy to know that I told him I had other plans. I know if you were here you'd probably think it's too soon for me to start seeing boys" She crossed her legs underneath her, loosening up her body.

"Besides, Tara has this huge crush on him and I wouldn't be a good friend if I went out with him. I promise you that I'm going to finish school first before looking for a boyfriend. Oh my gosh and yesterday Leda gave me this huge speech about how I need to cut my hair because it's not 'practical'" She air-quoted with two fingers in the air, an incredulous look coming upon her face. "And you know what I told her? I was like 'Leda, stop being jealous of what you can't have' and she got this look on her face, I thought she was going to shave my head in my sleep" She laughed whole-heartedly then.

Arianna felt surprised at the feel of cold tears running down her cheeks. She wiped at them, her bottom lip quivering as she kept on her conversation.

"I miss you, Daddy. I know I never really met you, and you never met me, but I still miss you. I miss you when I see little girls walking hand-in-hand with their own dads. I miss you when Edison hits mom straight across the face because she messed up dinner. I miss you when I see Leda horsing around with Edison. Daddy, I need you" She felt a cold hand on her shoulder, and didn't hesitate when her mother pulled her into her arms.

"Are you okay, Honey?" Her mother whispered into her hair.

Arianna breathed in deeply, wiping the remnants of her tears away. She only ever really cried when talking to her father, so she didn't necessarily feel weak. But crying always made her feel unlike herself, and it didn't take long for her voice to steady once again.

"I'm fine"

* * *

"Jak? Are you getting ready? We have to head out soon!" His father called out from the kitchen.

"Almost done!" He shouted back.

Jak pulled on his navy slacks and tucked in his cleanest white polo into them, combing his hair to the side as his father had taught him and making sure his wayward bangs were out of his face. He wanted to look as clean as possible to make his father proud.

"_Un buen muchacho hace lo mejor que pueda" (_A good guy does the best he can) His father's voice rang out in his head, and he chuckled to himself.

Jak made his way downstairs to meet his father in the kitchen, who in turn had also cleaned up quite nicely.

His father's hair was combed to the side like his, but the small grey hairs outlining his dad's head stood out and made Jak think that that would be what he'll look like in twenty-five years.

Victor Wire opened the front door and he and Jak made their way down to the town square, where Victor kissed Jak's head lightly.

"_No te van a llamar. Tu nombre nadamas esta dos veces ahi. Es impossible" _(They won't call you. Your name is only in there twice. It's impossible)

Jak only shrugged and walked down to the area with the other thirteen year olds.

* * *

Arianna stared at herself in the mirror, wondering why she wasn't particularly satisfied with her mother's white dress. Sure it was just a simple spaghetti-strap sheath that came just above her knees, but she liked simple. There was just something missing…

She looked around the bedroom she shared with Leda, looking for something, though she didn't know what. Her eyes landed on her emerald green curtain, which was fastened to the wall by a thick simple green ribbon.

Perfect, she thought as she walked and undid the curtain and wrapped the ribbon around her waist, tying the back into a bow.

But she still looked in the mirror and felt something was missing. Her fingers grazed her neck and she instantly knew what. Reaching into the bottom of the mattress, she pulled out the old sliver locket she'd hidden away all these years. The locket held a picture of her mother and her real father, before he died. She'd never worn it since her mother gave it to her for her twelfth birthday, but something was telling her to wear it today.

She clasped it around her neck before heading out the door, long black hair billowing in the wind as she made her way slowly to the town square.

* * *

Tina Gizmo chirped brightly when announcing the video of the capitol. Obviously she was trying to elevate the somber crowd's mood, but failed miserably. After seven years escorting District 3, she hadn't had ONE winner. Most District 3 Tributes died in the famous bloodbath. It's like they didn't even know how to aim a knife, let alone outrun a career. She wondered what these kids learned at school. Was it all computer stuff? Because that obviously proved to be useless during the games-just saying.

When the morbid video finally finished, she put on her fake smile once again, and batted her feathered eyelashes at the crowd and tossed her waist length mint green locks over one shoulder.

"I say we start with our handsome men" She inwardly gagged at this, looking out into the boys section filled with underfed, too tall boys.

She reached into the bowl on her left, and picked up a slip.

"Jak Wire" She read, inwardly cringing when she saw a really young boy walk onto the stage. She could hear cries in the distance.

"_NO! MI HIJO! NO!" (_No! My son! No!)

The boy meekly spoke into the microphone, and some struggle was heard in the back where the adults stood.

"My name is Jak Wire, and I am thirteen years old. _Esta bien, papi. Un buen muchacho hace lo mejor que pueda. (_Its ok, Dad. A good guy does the best he can)

Something hit Tina Gizmo's heart then. She blinked away tears as the boy stepped to her left.

"Now on to the beautiful ladies" Her voice shook a bit, but she swallowed and reached into the jar on her right.

"Arianna Everson"

Dead silence erupted as a beautiful tall girl made her way to the stage. Her long black hair swayed in the wind, and her green eyes look determined, and a little scared.

"My name is Arianna Everson, and I am sixteen years old" Her voice did not shake one bit, and Tina wondered if they would have a fighter this year in either of the tributes.

* * *

**Needless to say, writing this broke my heart :'( I hoped it touched yours too **

**I feel really good about focusing on each districts reapings by themselves, but you're welcome to tell me what you think. I**

**I'll probably have D4 on friday night, _Maybe_ late Thursday night.**

** .xoxo**


	8. District 4 Reapings

Oceus Titan squinted at first light of dawn, turquoise eyes focused on the moving fin in the water. He positioned his harpoon, and when his prey was on target, he let the trigger go, the pointed arrow impaling the creature in the ocean. With quick precision, he tugged on the connecting chain and hauled it close to his sailboat. Throwing a net overboard, he was able to single-handedly bring the 7-foot shark aboard.

"Aren't you a pretty specimen?" He whistled to himself, admiring his catch. He had received some unimaginable luck that morning, since with the nice bull shark he didn't have to stick around for more fish.

Bull sharks are always high on demand. Their exquisite meat is practically priceless, and the oils extracted from their organs were an expensive oddity. Not to mention the amount of money he could get selling the shark's teeth on the beach. Everyone in District 4 is obsessed over these sea animals as much as the capitol is obsessed with the hunger games.

Catching a shark is a good omen, Oceus thought to himself, even if it isn't a Great White.

He had yet to catch one of those - the real man-eaters of the ocean. He chuckled to himself as he recalled a time in the history books where people actually studied and kept the rogues in tanks at recreational parks for people's enjoyment. How could people have been so stupid?  
One day, he would fish a Great White… He owed it to his parents.

A 12-foot Great White Shark had ended their lives when he was 12, and he and his four siblings had been forced to watch as the shark lunched on their parents –limb after limb, scream after scream – until both of them disappeared underwater.

Their bodies were never found.

Oceus yanked the harpoon arrow out of the dead shark, and cleaned it with a basin of salt water on his boat, _the calling._

Oh there was something calling alright – he was determined to be in the games this year, just like his great, great, great grandfather, Finnick Odair.

* * *

"Nerine, did you see that?" Her twin brother, Dace, asked, excitement lighting over his face as he gripped the armrests on his wheelchair, his head looking over his shoulder at his sister.

Nerine Delmar stopped in their tracks, looking out into the open ocean to try to catch a glimpse of what her brother saw.

"What? I don't see anything. What'd you see?" She asked, peering curiously at Dace.

"I think I saw a shark fin in the water" He shook his head, "But I doubt it. Might've been a dolphin"

Nerine Delmar shrugged. "Well, whatever it was, it's not there anymore." She continued their early morning stroll by the beach, the dawn sun casting a nice glow on their favorite spot in District 4. No other bay in the district could compare to Cape Crest, and she might have been a little biased about this because of her affiliation with the Ocean Crest restaurant, which was owned by her mom's family. Her dad's side of the family were fisherman, and he specifically catered to them.

That's how the met, twenty-some odd years ago.

Now, her father still caters to the Ocean Crest, and a lot of the times Nerine fishes with him, and she also helps wait tables in the afternoons at the restaurant. Her brother Dace doesn't really fish with their father. It takes a lot of valuable time in the ocean when her dad has to load up Dace's ramp and his wheelchair is a bit awkward on the boat.

It sucks, because her and Dace are so close, and she wishes they were able to spend all the time they could together…

But Dace was born with twisted legs, and the operation that could fix his legs is only offered in the capitol, and the price is too much for her humble parents.

Which is why she has been applying for tesserae since her fourteenth birthday… Her family doesn't need the food portions, so she donates those to the slums of District 4, but Nerine wants her name to be reaped. It's the only way she'll get into the games and win. Once she wins, she'll have all the money she needs.

Dace can have his operation.

* * *

Oceus cursed softly as he tried to hoist the four-hundred pound shark over his shoulder. Obviously, that wasn't going to work, so instead he laid it on the ground, already breathing heavy with effort.

"This damn shark is going to break my back" he stood with his hands on his hips, sweat beading from his shaggy black hair, which from lack of a current haircut, almost touched his shoulders.

"What'd you got there?" A familiar face smiled behind him, and Oceus cursed once more.

Here he was, reeking of dirty fish, and hauling a bloody shark-which by the way had stained his clothes-and out comes the last person he would want to see at the moment.

Pluta Nepture, the mayor's daughter –who also happened to be his best friend, who happened to be the girl he's been crushing on for years.

She walked around his rigid form in the dock, gasping contentedly when she saw the bull shark.

She whistled in appreciation as she took in the whole 7 foot fish, and then glanced up happily at him.

"How are you going to get that back to your place?" She asked, her mouth spread in a smile and sea-green eyes twinkling. Her bronze hair waved in the wind, and for a moment Oceus forgot to reply.

"Hello? Panem to Oceus?" She laughed as he shook his head and managed a wry smile for her.

"You want to get a little dirty?" He asked, wagging his eyebrows, returning to his usual self.

Pluta scoffed, and shook her head.

"Sorry, best friend. You're going to have to do that on your own" She stood to the side of the shark, one of her feet prodding into it. "How much do you think it'll go for?"

"I don't know… A lot?" He shrugged. "It's not a Great White, but…"

"But nothing" She interrupted. "It's a shark, that's what most people care about"

Oceus nodded his head in approval, dragging the shark to a wagon he had tied off on the dock for these purposes. He hoisted the upper half up onto it, and then pushed the rest as much as it could fit on there.

"What brings you out to the docks this morning anyways? It's the Reaping." He exhaled a short burst of air as he wiped his blood stained hands on his cargo fishing shorts.

Something clouded over Pluta's face then, and Oceus noticed quickly.

"What is it?" He asked, a worried tone in his voice.

"Nothing.. It's just, I forgot you were volunteering this year." She crossed her arms over chest, and all he wanted to do was cross the distance between them and hold her tight.

"Whatever," she waved her hands around "it doesn't matter you're coming home anyways" She forced a smile. " What I really came here to tell you is big."

"Okay then. Shoot" He started to wheel the wagon out of the docks and into the direction of his waterfront cottage.

Pluta fell silent behind him, and when he whipped his head around he could see her hesitation.

"You might want to stop walking for this." She bit her lip nervously, but her eyes shone with wild excitement.

"Okay…" He stopped, and turned around to face her.

Pluta smiled coyly, and uttered the one phrase sure to send Oceus off to his death.

"I'm getting married"

* * *

Nerine wheeled Dace into the Ocean Crest at around ten, both already slightly flushed because of the rapidly-rising sun.

Catla Delmar was already awaiting them at the order counter, a plate of sweet coconut shrimp beckoning them towards her.

They made the way over to their mother, who gave them each a kiss on the forehead.

"You two are absolutely sunburned already. " She smiled to herself, " Your hair is turning blonder every day." She ruffled Dace's hair for good measure.

"Are these for us?" Without waiting for a response, Nerine digged into the shrimp.

Dace reached for one too, and soon the plate was halfway done.

"So" Nerine said, her mouth slightly full " What do you want?"

Their mother opened her mouth and gasped, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Nothing, how could you even say that?"

Nerine pretended to think thoroughly, her head tilted.

"Let's see… You cook our favorite snack,"

"You let us eat all we want" Dace added

"Yeah" Nerine nodded "You're definitely up to something"

Their mother just sighed exasperatedly, muttering something about _being so obvious, _and got up to go get something.

When she returned she had two small gift boxes, and their father walked behind her, holding a small round blue cake.

Nerine and Dace looked at each other in wonder.

"What are we celebrating?" Dace asked, fingering the knitted blanket that covered his twisted legs.

Her mother smiled at her father and then back at her twin teenagers.

"Your father just received a letter from the capitol. They want his fishing company to cater specifically for our president of Panem"

"For President Rosegard? She contacted you?" Nerine asked incredulously.

Pike Delmar nodded, and looked fondly at his only son.

"There's more. The amount of money she's willing to pay for my fish is outstanding…"

"We'll be able to afford your operation, Dace. You can be a normal boy" Catla Delmar dabbed at the tears that sprung to her eyes.

Nerine smiled at her brother, but soon her smile faltered as she remembered all the times her name would be in the reaping bowl this year…

* * *

"Oceus! The meat freezer smells like dead shark!" His older sister Soah called out from somewhere in their small house.

He was in the midst of putting on his father's grey suit pants, and because of the earlier unexpected news…well let's just say he wasn't in the _best _of moods.

"Maybe it's because it's holding one!" He snapped back, opening the door to the bedroom he shared with his little brother Kai. He breathed in, and in a calmer tone, yelled to his sister once again. "By the way, can you sell him at the market tomorrow morning?!"

"How in Panem are we going to get that thing to the market!?" This time, it was his other older sister, Gelta who graciously replied.

"Wheel it!"

"Why does the house smell like stinky fish?" His little sister Dela rounded off the corner, and the seven year old clutched a stuffed dolphin to her chest.

"Oceus!" Soah screamed.

"Oceus! I am NOT gonna wheel that thing to the market!" Gelta stood in front of his bedroom door, hands on her hips.

"What's all the noise?" Kai walked in the front door, a small bucket in one hand.

"I'm getting ready for the reaping, people! Get out!" He shut the door, at once regretting his snarky attitude once he heard the uncanny silence outside his door, followed by a few sniffles.

He opened the door.

"I'm sorry I-" He was cut off my his sisters, who all wrapped their bodies around him and begged him not to volunteer.

Little nine-year old Kai still stood apart from the girls, his turquoise eyes boring into Oceus's.

"You're coming home, right?"

Oceus untangled himself from his sister's grasps, coming to kneel in front of Kai.

He ruffled his hair and tilted his chin up to look at him.

"Of course I am buddy, no doubt about it. I'm only doing this to help take care of you. Just like great, great, great grandpa"

* * *

"Nerine! Someone's here to see you!" Her dad called from their living room.

"Who is it!?" She called back, brushing her sandy blonde hair and knotting a couple of tufts and securing them with the usual glass beads.

"Lenok!"

Nerine sighed. Lenok Ore has been following her around for a while. Ever since she spotted Nerine pushing Eli Crossings off the docks for spreading a rumor about Dace, she has wanted desperately to be her best friend. Wherever Nerine went, Lenok followed.

The truth is Nerine kind of felt bad for the girl, so she let her hang around. Its not as if she were hurting anyone…

Lenok walked into her bedroom, already dressed for the reaping, which would start in about half an hour. She wore a nice light blue frock, her brown locks done up in an up-do.

"Oh you look so nice" Lenok remarked, squealing over Nerine's silver strapless dress, her colored glass beads in her hair making a nice contrast with the metallic color.

"Thanks, Lenok" She smiled at the girl, and continued to brush and knot her hair.

"Nerine! A guy is here to see you!" Dace called from the kitchen.

"Who is it?" She called back, smiling a bit as she noticed she said the same thing when her father called.

"Herring Dempsey" Dace wheeled into her room, casting her a playfully accusing look.

"Don't look at me, I didn't invite him" Nerine laughed "But I'm ready so maybe we could head over to the town square together"  
Dace smiled knowingly. Herring had a really adorable crush on Nerine, and he kissed her on her sixteenth birthday. Ever since then, things had become a little weird between them, since they used to be friends and all. Dace knew they would end up together eventually.

"You coming?" She shot him a look as she walked side by side by Lenok.

"Nah, I'll go later" He winked at his sister and wheeled to the living room.

* * *

"Welcome, mermen and mermaids" Ella Finn smiled to herself as if she had said the funniest reference ever. Her blue hair had been ornately decorated for today's reaping with seashells and small starfish, and she wore a necklace made up of real shark teeth.

To be honest, she looked like she would be attending a costume party, blue lips and all.

They watched the capitol episode on the rebellion, and most of District 4 was already bored and didn't pay attention to a second of it. As it started playing, conversation arose, and soon, you couldn't even hear the audio of the video.

Ella Finn had to fight to keep the smile on her face. Honestly, she could not understand why everyone liked District 4 so much. They didn't even have the decency to watch the video politely. It was all fun and games for all of them, she thought in her head. She didn't even know why the tributes were considered careers, they don't even have a training academy specialized for the games. They just have that stupid school that gives them all a year or two –maybe three if the wish- of training.

The only thing that they had going for them, were their looks.

Boy, did District 4 have handsome men… She fanned herself just thinking about it.

Soon, it was time to begin to draw the names.

"Let's start with our beautiful mermaids" She dropped her hand to the bowl on her right and picked a slip.

"Nerine Delmar" She called out.

A gasp was heard from a boy sitting outside the age groups in a wheelchair, and a similar looking girl walked on stage. Ella Finn looked from the boy to the girl, to the boy, to the girl again.

_Twins…How interesting._

Nerine grabbed the microphone, a steady look on her eyes.

"My name is Nerine Delmar and I am seventeen years old"

Ella Finn smiled at the girl and spoke into the microphone again.

"Now for our mermen…" She dug deep into the bowl on her left.

"Granger Walla-"

"I VOLUNTEER!" A young man called out, his striking form walking up on stage. He definitely was good looking, Ella Finn thought.

"My name is Oceus Titan-Odair and I am eighteen years old" He spoke clearly into the microphone and at the mention of the historic Finnick Odair's last name, her interest perked up.

_This year's games were going to be exceptionally entertaining…_

* * *

**Sorry if its a bit late. Life happens, but here it is :)  
Hoped you enjoyed it and D5 will be up probably either tomorrow or Monday night**

**Btw, Jak Wire in D3 was speaking Spanish lol xD**

** .xoxo**


	9. District 5 Reapings

Matthew Dawson woke up feeling great. Not that he ever woke up feeling otherwise, but that morning he woke up feeling exceptionally awesome. He smirked to himself in bed, shaggy black hair tousled and hazel eyes holding a lazy look. When he started to see the sun's rays penetrating his curtains, he got up. He whistled to himself as he threw on a plain white shirt, opening up his blinds and staring out into the streets of District 5. From his fourth-story window, he could see the huge power plant in the distance, where his parents both worked.

Of course today, the power plant wasn't emitting any smoke from the stacks, since for the Reaping all workers had been given the day off. It was the only day a year when the power plant was shut off, and to anticipate for the only holiday a year, all workers had been working overtime for the past month, making sure they had generated enough energy to support all the districts on Reaping Day.

At this thought, Matthew groaned. In four years he'd _actually have to work._ Unless, you know, he could get out of it…Become a male model somewhere in the capitol or something.

He laughed at this, opening his bedroom door and walking into the main room of the apartment – the kitchen/living room. Kicking softly at the small wooden toys in his path, he made his way over to the kitchen, opening up the refrigerator and taking a huge gulp of milk straight for the carton until he felt a hand slap him in the back of his head.

"Matt! That is disgusting!" His dad glared at him with his similar hazel eyes, and then in lower tones "Pass me some before your mother comes"

Matthew grinned and quietly passed him the carton, to which his dad took a full swig off before wiping his lips and passing it back to Matthew, who quickly put it back in place. He looked at his father, taking in his full 6'8 frame, towering dangerously over everything in their small fourth story apartment. He looked a lot like him, standing close to him at 6'5 and with his matching eye color, however his dark locks he inherited from his mother who happened to strut right in at that moment. Her dark head only reached her father's shoulder, and she was pretty tall as well, a whole 5' 9. His blonde father looked lovingly at her, and playfully grabbed her by the waist, ignoring the sounds of playful disgust that their four children where emitting.

Matthew walked over to his three younger sisters, all fair-headed with big blue eyes-his mother's eyes. He tickled the three small girls, and they laughed and pushed him off. The eldest of the three was Cindy, who was five, followed by Lindsey at age four and finally leaving little Gretta, who was only two years old. He sort of envied them, being so little and so carefree. They didn't know about what was happening in Panem, and they didn't understand the hunger games.

_What a joke_, he thought. The hunger games were just something to scare people, and he wasn't scared. Being only fourteen and never having taken out tesserae, his name was only in there 3 times.

_There was no chance he'd be called._

* * *

Indigo Mink felt someone kick her straight in the ribs and woke up in a jolt. Her younger sister Basil, who thankfully was still under reaping age at 11 years old, was stretched horizontally across the bed that they shared, her head and upper body hanging limply from the edge of the bed. One movement and she'd fall. Not a big fall though, their bed was pretty close to the ground… Indigo smiled mischievously, and with a slight push, her little sister fell on the carpeted floor with a muted thump.

"Ugh" Basil groaned, getting up off the floor and giving her older sister a fake glare, to which Indigo responded to with an innocent shrugging of the shoulders.

At that particular second, her other younger sister, Misty, a very hyper-active seven year old, pounced on their bed, pretending she was a cat.

"Look! I found Ms. Meow!" Indigo giggled, and ruffled her little sister's red locks.

Misty hissed, and then pretended to lick the back of her palm.

"I think the real Ms. Meow is getting jealous." Basil smiled and picked up their tabby cat, who was so fat the whole family wondered how in panem she was eating better than they were.

"Come 'ere fatty" Indigo took the furry cat in her lap, and Misty pouted when she realized they were no longer paying attention to her.

"I'm a cat too!" She squealed, her lips out in an exaggerated expression.

"No you're not!" Basil took Misty in her lap, and tickled her feet until she yelled out that she wasn't a cat.

"What's going on in here?" Their mother opened the door, taking in the three sisters all on the bed, and Ms. Meow lazily lounging on Indigo.

"No cats on the bed" She repeated the same rule that she always did at least ten times a day, and Indigo sighed as she placed Ms. Meow on the floor.

Diana Mink went around the bed and kissed her beautiful auburn headed daughters each on the forehead, her own red hair blending in with theirs, except hers wasn't kept long. It was very unconventional to keep it so while working in the power plant. Their mother just kept it in a short pixie cut -it was faster in the mornings anyways.

Indigo smiled warmly at her mother while bouncing on the bed, watching her move gracefully around the room. Her mother disappeared to the kitchen and came back holding a glass of water and her medication for ADHD.

Indigo took the water glass in one hand and took the pill in her mouth that her mother gave her, and washed it down with the water.

It didn't bother her, having to take medicines to c_alm_ her down. It was her way of life.

It always had been.

* * *

Matthew was in the middle of finishing his breakfast when his parents interrupted him.

"Matt, we have to talk" His dad said sternly.

"About what?" Matthew waved his spoon in the air.

"Yesterday," His mother began, "We ran into your teacher, Mrs. Granger. She told us something very interesting"

He groaned inwardly. It had to do with his grades and attendance. _Crap._

"She said you haven't been in class for over a week…Which is funny, because two days ago you said school was as boring as usual" His mother tilted her head to the side, awaiting an explanation.

"I didn't lie. It was boring, that's why I didn't go" He continued to eat.

"Matthew, you can't skip school. You're supposed to be learning –"

"Valuable things for when I work at the power plant" He finished monotonously. "I know…But, mom, I'm not even learning anything! It's all _don't do this _and _don't do that_, and don't even get me _started_ in Hunger games history. We have that stupid reaping today and I'm just done –_over it." _He smacked his spoon on the table, and left the room without another comment, not listening to his parent's calling him.

He exited their apartment, taking the stairs two at a time- sometimes three at a time.

Who cared if he was failing school? He wasn't getting anything out of it. Nobody cared if he was smart or dumb, as soon as he turned 18 he'd be sent to work at the power plant anyways.

Unless he found a way to get out of it-Marry a merchant's daughter or something... It wasn't impossible, he'd dated quite a few of them already. His parents had given him the blessing of great looks, and Matthew had learned at an early age to use it to his advantage.

That was no exception.

* * *

Indigo wandered the streets, looking for her friends Scorpio and Rain –mainly Scorpio though. She had a huge crush on him, and her mom called it puppy love, but Indigo was sure it was the real thing. Scorpio was really cute, and all the girls in her grade at school had a crush on him too, but only Indigo was considered his best friend. Rain was her best friend too, but she wasn't that close to Scorpio.

Which, of course, Indigo didn't mind one bit.

She rounded the corner of her street, and instead ran into a very familiar pair of people.

Mrs. Travis and seventeen year old Milly in a wheelchair.

Milly suffered from cerebral palsy, a rare disorder in District 5. Indigo met Milly almost a year ago in the hospital when her little brother Toby was born. She had been running around the hospital because her dad forgot to give her medication that morning because of the hustle and bustle and rushing to the hospital before her mother gave birth. She kept it a secret from Rain, but she loved spending time with Milly. Scorpio was the only one that knew, and he would tag along sometimes when she visited her, but understood that Indigo liked to spend time with Milly alone. It was the only way she felt that Milly really opened up. Honestly, she was rather shy.

"Hi Milly!" Indigo said brightly, smiling at her friend.

Milly smiled, and waved her hands slightly to greet her friend.

"Look Milly, it's Indigo. Aren't you happy to see her?" Mrs. Travis leaned down a bit to speak with her daughter.

"Are you ready for the Reaping today?" Indigo asked Mrs. Travis when Milly returned to her own world, staring into the streets ahead.

"Yes… It'll be her second-to last reaping, and we just can't wait for her to pass reaping age" Mrs. Travis replied.

"Yeah, I'm glad my little sisters have a long time till they turn twelve, well except for Basil but…"

"She'll be fine" Mrs. Travis smiled. " Next year her name will only be in there once, she won't be called"

"We can only hope so" Indigo whispered. "It's Spencer's first reaping too.."

"He also won't be called. Just watch" She smiled at the girl, her eyes sure of what she was saying.

* * *

Matthew walked into his house about fifteen minutes before the Reaping would get started, and he was relieved to find out his entire family had already headed out to the town square without him. He knew he would have to deal with the consequences of that morning sooner or later, but he'd rather do it later than at that moment.

He quickly jumped into the shower, and jumped out of it three minutes later. Quick shower for a quick event…

Knowing that he at least needed to look descent, he put on his father's old black suit. Matthew combed back his hair, a look which he hoped would make him appear as if he should be in one of those old movies that the world used to make before the Rebellion.

He smiled to himself as he put on his shiny black shoes, a birthday present from his parents.

With five minutes to spare, he bolted from his apartment and made his way to the town square, already thinking about all the pretty girls from his school that were going to be there.

* * *

After Indigo parted ways with Milly and her mother, she did find Scorpio and they walked around for a bit, and before she knew it, it was time for her to come back to her apartment house and get ready for that day's Reaping. Scorpio had promised to walk with her to the town square and they set up a meeting spot outside of the local bank, which was the middle point between their apartments and the town square.

Now she was in the apartment's small bathroom with her brother, Spencer, who was also trying to look his best for the reaping. It was his first one, and he was indignant to look his best. He had already put on their father's old tan slacks and a crisp white shirt.

"How do I look?" Indigo tried to twirl in the small bathroom, but all that came out was a slow, choppy turn.

She wore a brand new navy button down dress. Her mother had saved up for weeks to buy it for her birthday last Christmas, and she hadn't worn it yet. Indigo had been saving it for a special occasion.

"You look good" her brother smiled, and Indigo tied her usual rope and string anklet on.

When she was ready, she told her parents she was going to meet Scorpio and they agreed on meeting after the Reaping.

Indigo was so happy to be walking next to Scorpio in her brand new dress, that she almost forgot to what event they were going to.

Worry seeped deep into her belly as she remembered.

* * *

Johnny Starships smiled pleasantly at the audience. It was his first year as an escort, and to be assigned District 5, he was pretty pleased.

_At least it wasn't District 12…_ That's pretty much what he cared about.

He looked over at the town square, shaded by the bunches of tall apartment buildings and shops. It was a very distinct city. Not a poor one, but definitely not rich… The people weren't starving, but they also didn't have a lot of food to waste. A pretty average district to be honest….

His mind was flooded with these thoughts as he watched the video of the rebellion, absentmindedly combing through his natural brown cropped hair. Johnny Starships was pretty average looking for an escort, the only hint of the capitol being his jeweled eyelashes. Other than that, he could have passed as any District 5 young adult.

When the video was over, he grinned enthusiastically at the crown once again.

"We are ready to begin now. How about we start with our young boys" He reached into the bowl on his left, digging into the massive amounts of slips until his fingers closed around one.

"Matthew Dawson" He read, and saw a really tall boy emerge from the crowd, a look of disbelief on his face. It was obvious that the boy was very handsome, something that would definitely help him a little throughout the games.

He walked up on stage and grabbed the microphone gingerly.

"My name is Matthew Dawson, and I am fourteen years old"

"Congratulations Matthew, you are very honored to be in this position" Johnny patted the young man on his back and told him to step aside for a second.

"Now, moving on to our lovely ladies…" He reached into the bowl on his right, and picked the topmost slip.

"Milly Travis" He read, and a woman in the back choked a sob.

Nobody moved on towards the stage.

"Milly Travis?" He repeated into the microphone.

A couple of peacekeepers began to wheel a young woman in, who obviously suffered from some sort of brain disorder…

"You can't take her!" A voice rang out. He turned his attention to a young girl, no older than thirteen.

The auburn haired girl stepped in front of the peacekeepers.

"She can't go!" She yelled.

One of the peacekeepers grabbed the girl by her arm, and started to drag her onto the stage.

"I believe we have a volunteer" He told Johnny.

"Wait! No! I-" The girl was thrown onstage, and a deadly silence enveloped the district.

She walked shyly to the microphone, eyes big and scared.

"My name is…Indigo Mink. I'm only thirteen years old" She looked out at the crown with her big grey eyes, and then into Johnny's brown ones, looking for guidance.

Johnny Starships didn't know what to do.

* * *

**District 6 will probably be up tomorrow :)**

** .xoxo**


	10. District 6 Reapings

Ulysses Dank rolled over in bed at the sound of a hovercraft alarm. He groaned as he tried to shield the sunlight from his eyes, the sun glaring horizontally into his small bedroom. He used to share it with his older sister Genevieve before she married, but now it was his.

He liked it that way.

He was a boy after all, and sharing a bedroom with your sister gave everyone at school a chance to make fun of him.

It also didn't help that his nineteen year old sister was considered to be very _attractive._ He shuddered just thinking about it. Like seriously, she was his sister! The guys at school shouldn't _–_

_Oh Panem… School_.

Ulysses shot out of bed, putting on a pair of jeans and throwing on the first clean shirt he saw and struggled to tie his shoes. In a matter of seconds, he brushed his teeth and grabbed his school bag and ran down twenty-three flights of stairs.

By the time he reached the main floor of his apartment complex, his premature acne-prone face was red with effort, and he had to lean over and catch his breath for a few minutes.

_I…really…need….to…exercise…more often._

Sure, District 6 was all about transportation and all, and every morning a hover-bus came for him and took him to school, and to be honest they didn't really do much walking…

But still…

_I need to keep in shape._

When he regained his breath, he walked out into the streets, strangely quiet on an everyday morning. He put that thought out of his head though, as he sped towards his bus stop, which thankfully was only about half-a-block away from his apartment building. Ulysses couldn't believe that he had slept in this morning. Last night he made sure to go to sleep on time even if he had to leave his new blueprint for his school transport fair unfinished. It wasn't due until another month anyways, but he liked to do a couple drafts of the print before he finalized it and turned it in.

He didn't think himself a perfectionist, no… Just a very particular and meticulous person.

On the way to his bus stop, he met a familiar face and felt relieved he hadn't missed the hover-bus.

"James!" He called to his friend, the closest he had next to Lena, but… He didn't like to think too much about her these days. Her death was still fresh in his mind.

James turned around to see his friend, tucking in his blonde hair into his beanie and stuffing the small packet of morphling pills into his jacket pocket before Ulysses caught a glimpse.

"Hey dude! Has the hover-bus passed?" He asked, still slightly red in the face and with sweat beading down from his light brown hair.

"Hover-bus?" James looked at him as if he was crazy. "There's no school today, Ulysses. It's the Reaping, stupid"

Ulysses flushed with embarrassment and slight anger at his friend's comment.

"I knew that"

* * *

"I'm glad your parents let you sleep over last night" Nadia Silver rolled onto her stomach, her stormy blue eyes tired from staying up all night gossiping and chatting with her best friend.

"I'm glad _your_ parents let _me_ sleep over" Peggy giggled, bumping Nadia with her hip.

Nadia rolled her eyes and started to close her eyes, just for a little bit of rest before they had to get up to eat breakfast,

"Oh no you don't! I spent all night discussing _Rob Farrell_ with you, you better stay awake now!" Peggy clonked Nadia over the head with the pillow.

Nadia shot straight up, mousy brown hair tousled and knotted from the restless night.

"You weren't complaining when we were talking about _Sidney _C_lash!_" She retorted.

"Shhhh! Your brothers are in the next room, remember? If they hear us, that'll be the end of our double-date fantasy with the two most _sexy, muscular, tall –"_

"Okay there sister, simmer down" She hit Peggy with her pillow, both girls giggling at her description. "Besides, Morgan is only fourteen and Jack is thirteen. How would they know the eighteen-year olds we are talking about."

"Umm, hello? Panem to Nadia! Morgan is friends with Sidney's little brother?" Peggy opened her green eyes wide and shot her eyebrows up as if to make a point.

"So? They don't know Rob" She laughed to herself as her friend gasped.

"Evil! Traitor!" She laughed as she pretended to be affected by Nadia's words.

Mrs. Silver chose to walk in at that second and took one look at her daughter, and then her daughter's friend. They started hitting each other with pillows, and then Nadia forfeited her pillow and chose to instead try to push Peggy off the bed. It was at this second that Mrs. Silver cleared her throat, amused at her teenage daughter's strong will and determination – she had so much of it that she didn't even realize her mother had walked in the room.

"Oh… Hi mom" Nadia smiled close-lipped at her mom, stopped in mid-action of pushing Peggy off.

Peggy had one leg on the floor and one leg on the bed and was about to lose balance.

"Hi Mrs. Silver" She said before toppling to the ground.

Nadia's mother raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes playfully at her seventeen year old daughter.

"Good Morning girls…" She waited until Peggy got back up onto the bed, and the continued to talk. "Breakfast will be ready in about ten minutes" She brushed back her brown hair with her fingers, her choppy bob cut falling straight back into place. She turned to leave, but first cast a mock-serious look to the girls.

"No more sexy boy talk, ok?"

She heard their muted giggles of mortification when she closed the door and despite what event was going to take place later that morning, she felt lucky to have her family.

* * *

Ulysses and James walked around the streets of District 6 in silence. They had been doing so for an unnatural amount of time, and Ulysses thought it to be a bit strange. Lately he had been feeling like his friend was slipping away, and that scared him. It terrified him, actually. Losing Lena last year had really cost him a lot. She used to be a very special girl- Short and lean, dark brown eyes always open in amazement at the world around her… He remembered that she used to bounce slightly wherever she walked, and her dark brown hair cut in a very modern bob used to move along with her. Lena was a breath of fresh air, something that was really rare in District 6 – the tall, broken down skyscrapers and apartment buildings covered most of the sky, and the air usually reeked of engine fuel.

Yeah, he missed Lena a lot.

They rounded a corner, and was surprised at James coming into a small alley. Ulysses' hazel eyes scanned his friend. _What was he doing?_

He noticed for the first time the slight greenish and yellowish hue that tinted the area around James's usual bright brown eyes. His clothes seemed to sag a bit on him, indicating that either he bought bigger-size clothes (which with his parent's income was hardly possible) or that he was rapidly losing weight.

"James! What in Panem are you doing?" Ulysses walked briskly to his friend and caught him by the elbow.

"Leave me alone already" He pushed him away, continuing his slow gait further into the alley.

"This is dangerous, James! You know what kind of people lurk around here!" He tried again, unsuccessfully to stop him.

James laughed, a harsh sound against the quiet of the alley.

"Are you scared?"

_Yes, I am, _he thought. His parents had repeatedly told him to stay far away from the alleys – especially this one, the one in between Bolt street and Fuel Avenue. This alley is where all the strong morphling addicts hung around, and the peacekeepers liked to run in unexpectedly and imprison anybody they caught. Plus, morphling addict's attitudes were unpredictable- you never knew when they would snap.

"No. But I have the feeling you're about to do something stupid" Ulysses voiced, hazel eyes hard and focused on his friend's glassy ones. "You're high, aren't you?" He snorted in disbelief.

"What do you care?" James's chin jutted out in defiance, hand absentmindedly gripping the little bag of pills in his jacket pocket.

"I don't. You're obviously intent in ruining your life and who am I to stop you?" Ulysses took one last look at him and, before he changed his mind, sped out of there and started on home. It was either fight or flight at that point, and he knew that the latter would be most appropriate at that moment.

_James could go ahead and throw his life down the toilet, but that doesn't mean I have to throw away mine…_

* * *

Nadia was sitting down at her small kitchen table with Peggy when her two younger brothers decided to go ahead and ruin her mood for the day. She had just cut for herself and Peggy a couple of slices of bread and was about to butter them when Morgan and Jack ran into the kitchen. Morgan was looking over his shoulder at Jack when he rammed into his older sister, pushing her backwards into the sink. Her arm accidentally turned on the faucet at full blast – something that was disastrous in the Silver household. Instantly, water began flying everywhere, soaking Nadia from head to toe and ruining the bread in her hands.

"SHUT IT OFF!" Jack yelled, taking cover underneath the kitchen table with Morgan and Peggy, who had immediately crawled underneath the second the faucet went wild.

"I'M _TRYING!_" Nadia screamed while on her knees and trying to see through the stream of water engulfing her. She needed to find the main water key, and _fast_. If not, the whole apartment could flood. Already she could see about a half-inch depth of water in the tiny kitchen. Her fingers fumbled until she felt the key, and with quick precision, turned off the water.

The first thing she did was catch her breath. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her body settled, and when she felt like her heart wouldn't jump out of her chest, she turned to her younger brothers. Nadia glared harshly at them, and then got up off the floor and walked to their cleaning closet and took out a mop and bucket. Peggy had crawled out from underneath the kitchen table and settled herself instead to sit atop it.

"Why are you looking at us like that, Nadia?" Morgan asked, looking very young for his fourteen years at the moment.

"Why do you think?" She snapped, eyes boring into her brothers.

"I don't know, why don't you _look us in the eye_ and tell us?" He smartly replied. He knew how much Nadia hated to look anyone in the eye. It made her feel small, and revealed. It was something to be avoided at all costs.

"Why don't you stop being a smart-" She started, but was interrupted by her father walking in with a towel around his waist.

As if the whole water fiasco wasn't embarrassing enough, here came her father, half-dressed and strolling around in front of Peggy.

"Whoa! Language" He exclaimed. "Can you turn the faucet back on? I was in the middle of a very nice shower"

* * *

Ulysses was still pretty upset a couple of hours later. He had walked home slowly, his head full of crawling thoughts that just wouldn't leave him alone. Maybe he should have stayed with James back there, make sure he wasn't in a whole lot of trouble but he worried that if he had, he might have been tempted to go down the same road as James. He worried that thinking about Lena might drive him to commit a rash action, one that would haunt him in the future.

Once he got to his apartment building, he stood outside of it for a really long time – just staring at the immensity of the living quarters. District 6 was pretty metropolitan – and though not wealthy, they weren't poor either. District 6 was like the buffer zone between the rich districts and the dirt poor ones. Sure, they had "bad areas" where the really unfortunate resided in or the morphling druggies, but most families were able to live a pretty stable life. They always had food on the table. Ulysses couldn't remember a time where he ever went hungry.

Obviously they were well enough as a society to create addicts. Morphling was pretty costly. He wondered briefly how James had acquired the money to get his hands on a supply of them.

Ulysses wasn't sure how long he stood outside, but it must have been an extreme amount of time because next thing he knew, he saw streams and clumps of people making their way to the town square.

Honestly, he couldn't care less what he was wearing at the moment. _The Reaping isn't something everyone wants to go to anyways, _he thought sarcastically.

He made the trek to the town square with everyone else, sticking out in his normal clothes, but he didn't notice. All he kept seeing in his head was James's face tinted in green and yellow hues.

He didn't want to lose another friend. Losing Lena last year to the Games was enough.

* * *

Nadia was drying her hair with a towel after taking a long shower. Peggy had left a few minutes after the water fiasco because it was after all, the Reaping, and she had to get dressed at her house. After she left, she made sure that Morgan and Jack cleaned the mess up in the kitchen, while she waited for her dad to get out of the shower.

He had of course, used up all the nice hot water.

Now, it was hardly worth thinking off as she changed into the grey dress with the black lace trim that she wore to last year's Reaping. The unfortunate tributes were Grant Hefner, a tall seventeen year old that actually made it to top 5 in the Games before he was stabbed to death by the District 2 male(Salium… Or Valium , she couldn't remember his exact name), and Lena Kolh – a sweet, young girl she had always seen hanging around a brunette and a blonde guy. She didn't really know much about her, and poor thing she was killed within the first five minutes of the bloodbath – speared through the stomach by the District 4 female.

It must have been really hard to watch for her family and friends – it had been hard for her and she barely knew her.

Anyways, there was not much left to do with her short brown locks, and in the end, she resolved to French-braiding a small piece and pinning it back in a Grecian style. She honestly never knew why she bothered _trying _ to look nice for the Reaping… Just the way her parents raised her, she guessed.

They never left anything half-finished. They saw it through to the end – no matter what.

With that thought, she gathered her brothers and started walking ahead of her parents to the town square.

She wondered briefly if anyone she knew would get reaped this year… And instantly felt sorry for whoever did because they'd have to put up with the escort, Lila Violetta .

* * *

Lila Violetta stepped on the platform the peacekeepers had set up and tapped twice on the microphone. Her purple waved locks were tied securely in a tall ponytail, and she flicked it for a sympathetic gesture.  
"The Reaping has begun!" She stated dramatically, opening her cat eyes dramatically and stepping off to the side to wait out the video. The people of District 6 watched it politely, a few yawns here and there, but nothing too preposterous. She preferred District 6 a lot more to District 11, who she had escorted for almost 7 years. Two years ago, they offered her the opportunity to switch to District 6 and boy, did she take it fast!

After the tedious video finished, not that she had paid much attention anyways, she pranced on stage, her four-foot eleven tiny frame bouncing in anticipation.

_Oohh she looooved Reapings! _

"Let's start with our ladies! YAY!" She giggled as she reached into the crystal bowl on her right picking a slip from the edge.

"Our LUCKY tribute is…Nadia Silver! YAY!" She clapped and bounced in place, smiling hugely at the crowd as a very nicely dressed girl walked up on the stage.

"Oooh I love your hair!" Lila complimented, receiving a weird look from the young teenager.

"My name is Nadia Silver, and I am freaking seventeen years old" She spat into the microphone, obviously not very happy.

Lila Violetta blinked.

"Well then… How about we continue with our handsome boys! YAY!" She chortled as she snatched slip from the bowl on her left and clutched it to her heart as she smiled mischievously at the unimpressed audience.

"Our LUCKY MALE tribute is…." Her smile faltered as she squinted her eyes onto the paper.

"Uly…Oohly… oh haha" She giggled cutely "Ooolaysees Dark! TRIPLE YAY!"

A few snickers spread through the crowd despite the serious moment, one coming especially from a sick looking blonde boy way out in the corner.

A young teenager walked up onto the stage, an amused, yet faraway look on his face.

"My name is…" He looked at Lila "Ulysses Dank, and I am fifteen years old."

Lila Violetta danced and clapped, screaming 'YAY!' at the top of her lungs as she herded the 'lucky' tributes off to their respective rooms.

_Oooh I like them! I know they can win! YAY MONEY!_ Lila Violetta thought.

If only the tributes were as sure of this…

* * *

**A sort of serious/humourous chapter. I kinda fell in love with Lila Violetta! She's like a candy-coated version of Effie on steroids... kinda lol**

**I felt I needed to liven up District 6 a bit, we never read about them much... **

**If I did horrible, flames are encouraged :) YAY! (ok I'll stop now xD)**

** .xoxo**


	11. District 7 Reapings

Thaddeus Hatwidge found himself being shaken awake by his younger siblings. He groaned and attempted to roll away from them. He needed his sleep. It as the one day a year when he allowed himself to sleep in, and here his brothers and sister were, annoying the living daylight out of him –at the moment anyways.

"C'mon Thad! You promised!" His little eleven year old sister pouted, her fragile frame propping down on the other side of the bed to prevent him from rolling away from them.

"Maple was really looking forward to this, Thad! Please get up!" Maple's twin brother, Jackson spoke up.

Thad opened one eye, and focused on Graham's face.

"I really have to get up, don't I?" He asked.

"A promise is a promise, isn't it?" Graham smiled.

"Okay, okay…I'll meet you guys outside" Thad grinned lazily and started to get up as his siblings shot out of the room, leaving him to get dressed.

He sighed as he slipped on a pair of jeans and red plaid shirt, making sure to lace up his hiking boots tight. The worst feeling in the world was feeling your skin chafe up against leather and forming blisters. He knew Maple, Graham, and Jackson were really excited for today. A couple weeks ago he'd promise them that he'd take them hiking in the woods of District 7. It was the one day a year he was positive there'd be no danger –lumber companies had the day off because it was the Reaping. It was the only time a year he'd willingly take them out there. He'd wandered off on his own every now and then since he turned ten. His father had given him an axe for that birthday, a bitter reminder that he would too work in a lumber company as he turned of age. He'd been angrily aiming at trees ever since. It was the one way he could work off steam – he wasn't one to let it out on his family or friends.

Thaddeus put on his grandfather's old black hunting cap, and on the way out the door, made sure to grab his old axe from the shed in the yard – just in case.

Maple was sitting outside their small home, sitting atop a large rock, feet folded under her.

"The ax? Do you really need to take it?" She asked, brown eyes apprehensive.

"Just in case, right?" Graham pitched in, at that second looking a lot older than his fourteen years. Jackson smiled carefully, and helped Maple get down from the rock, keeping his hand in hers as they started to walk.

Thaddeus snuck a glance at the pair of twins, inwardly smiling. You never would've known they were twins. Jackson's hair was a lot darker than Maple's mouse brown locks, and his blue eyes made a remarkable comparison to his sister's honey brown ones. Maple jokes around that she looks a lot more like Graham than she does Jackson.

All Thaddeus knows is that he loves them all the way they are, even if they do wake him up in the mornings.

* * *

"Veronica, wake up, we have to hurry" Robin Santiago whispered to her thirteen year old sister, frantically packing up a small bag of clothes that would get them through the next couple of days.

Veronica stirred in her sleep, but because she was a deep sleeper, Robin's worried whispers did nothing to wake her.

Robin paced around their small room they shared with their mother, who at the moment was passed out in the living room.

It was time for them to leave.

"Veronica!" She hissed, and to her relief, her sister awoke with a start. Robin tossed her some clothes and shoes.

"Put them on, and hurry!" Robin zipped the small bag closed, opening the bedroom door a bit and peeking at their drunk mother.

Veronica, still a bit groggy, quickly slipped on the jeans and sweater that Robin had tossed her.

"Why are we leaving today? It's the Reaping, she's bound to realize we're gone" Veronica asked, her legs a little wobbly from the cuts her mother had inflicted a couple days prior.

"Because if we don't leave now, we may never have the guts to do it in the first place. Look what she did to you, Vero!" Robin shook her head, remembering .

"_Mom! Please it was MY FAULT!" She screamed, trying to pry her mother away from Veronica, who was writhing on the floor as her mother kicked at her, her frail body wrapping itself into a fetal position._

"_MOM! PLEASE! STOP!" Robin shouted as her mother threw her off of her. She wiped the tears on her face, her hands going instinctively to her ear; wanting to block out the sounds of despair her little sister was emitting. She walked to their kitchen, stepping over broken bottles and reached into a drawer and drew out a knife. Sniffing, she hurried back to where her drunken mother was beating her sister mercilessly._

"_Mom… Hit me" She commanded, closing her eyes in frustration as she ignores her, picking up Veronica up off the floor and banging her up against the wall._

"_Mom! I'll kill myself! I will" Robin held the knife in the air, blue eyes red with crying and blonde hair a mess. _

_That was when her mother sneered at her, and with her drunken stupor took the knife away from her…_

Robin wanted to forget the rest. Her sister's screaming had been forever etched into her brain. If they didn't leave now, she'd kill her. Robin knew she would, and if she did, she'd never stop blaming herself. Her mother had never laid a hand on her.

"_You have the money-making face" _she'd say, usually during the calm hours as she nursed a hangover.

She had to get her sister out of there, even if it was the last thing she'd ever do.

She'd give her life for Veronica…in a heartbeat.

* * *

"Here we are" Thaddeus announced, walking into a calm meadow. The wildflowers were in full bloom, hues of yellows, pinks, purples, and oranges overwhelming the little clearing. It was a very special spot in the woods of District 7. Right here in the middle of this little paradise, his dad had proposed marriage to his mom, twenty two years before….

Now seventeen years later, he was taking his siblings to the same spot his father showed him on his tenth birthday after gifting him with an ax.

"_This is where you'll propose to that special girl too. It's where your grandfather proposed, and your great-grandfather, and so on… It's a family tradition._" His father had told him.

At the time, Thaddeus was a bit disturbed. He was, after all, only ten and his father was talking to him about marriage… Eww

But now, he thought of it differently. There definitely was a girl he had in mind.

Leona Gordenburg – his best friend.

Well, best friend for the moment anyways… He knew she loved him too. They'd told each other already, they just wanted to wait until they both passed reaping age and passed school.

You'd be surprised, but the possibility of being sent into the games to die was really a turn-off in romance.

"Wow! It's so beautiful" Maple cooed, her big brown eyes open wide, her mouth agape as she took in the amounts of flowers.

"Really?" Thaddeus asked, his eyes holding a playful glint " Because I see something way prettier somewhere over" He turned to his little sister "here." He picked her up casually and started to tickle her.

"Thad stop! I'm not a little girl anymore!" She giggled, and Thaddeus let her down.

"I know, but you're growing up too fast" He ruffled her hair fondly.

"We_ are_ the same age, you know?" Jackson stood to the side, arms crossed.

"Oh are you jealous? " Thaddeus picked up his brother, and tossed him over one shoulder.

"Thad! PUT ME DOWN!" He yelled, laughter evident in his voice.

"Granted" He replied, tossing him softly into the field of wildflowers; Jackson yelped as he hit the cloudlike cluster of violets and pansies.

"So this is where you've been going all these years… I always wondered" Graham sat down near a tall gathering of sunflowers, eyes trained on the sky.

Maple ran into the middle of the meadow and spun around, arms out and head tilted up to the heavens.

Thaddeus smiled at his little sister, and busied himself twisting a few of the dandelions and a couple of little purple flowers into a little crown.

"Hey Maple, come over here!" He called to her, hiding his surprise behind him as she galloped happily over to him.

He presented the crown to her and she gasped contentedly, looking up lovingly at her big brother as he placed it on her head.

"It fits!" She exclaimed, giggling happily.

"Of course it does, Maple" Jackson strutted over to his twin sister, followed by Graham who held a bunch of flowers in his hand.

"You're our little queen, Maple." He gave the makeshift bouquet to her, laughing as her face beamed.

"You always have been" Thaddeus kissed the top of her head, wanting her to stay eleven years old forever.

* * *

"Thanks for letting us stay here for today" Robin said to her friend Lydia. They were sitting at her kitchen table, the three girls graciously splitting a loaf of bread.

"It's no problem. You guys should have gotten out of there a long time ago." She passed them a bit of butter, brown eyes smiling kindly at them.

Veronica kept her gaze down as her sister and Lydia talked, feeling a bit ashamed at the trouble her sister was going to by keeping her safe.

"So what are your plans?" Lydia asked, resting her crossed arms on the table.

"First, we just have to lay low during this reaping. It's likely that we'll be called of course but-" Robin pursed her lips.

"No you won't be called." Lydia soothed.

"My name is in there twelve times, and Veronica's is in there six times." Robin stated.

"And there are families who have kids whose name is in there more than thirty times" Lydia countered her.

"Whatever" She waved her hands around "Anyways, we'll lay low during the Reaping, and when that is done, we'll sneak over here and hide out for the rest of the day. Then tomorrow I'm going over to the justice hall and request a district move."

"Those are really rare… Do you think they'll approve it?" Lydia looked a bit apprehensive, and Robin understood completely.

It was a long shot. Unless the mayor found enough compassion in his heart to let them switch districts, they would have to hide out from their mother here in District 7, which was almost impossible to do.

"I hope so…I'm going to request to move to District 5. I think we'll be able to make it there"

Lydia rubbed her friend's arm. Even with their large age difference of six years, Lydia was the only person that Robin trusted. She lived on her own since her parents passed away last spring because of a malaria outbreak, and though she had a couple of guys after her, she wasn't ready to settle down. Coming from a baker's family meant that she needed a man who would be able to uphold the business with her, and though she had received many requests, none had the capacity to run a bakery.

"I hope everything works out for you two" Lydia smiled.

"I do too, Lydia… I do too" Robin twisted tendrils of her blonde hair on her finger, deep in thought.

At that moment, Veronica burst into tears, chest heaving with long-contained sobs.

"It's my fault!" She cried into Robin's chest as she brought her in.

"No…No sweetie, its not your fault." She soothed, running her fingers through her little sister's hair.

"Yes it is! If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't be running away"

"Listen to me Vero" She tilted her chin to face her "It is not your fault. It's moms and whoever screwed her up-Not yours, not mine… Don't you ever think otherwise"

* * *

It was almost noon by the time they made it back. Their parents had already gone off to the Reaping, and they left Thaddeus in charge of getting everyone ready on time.

But they only had about fifteen minutes.

"Everyone hustle! Forget showering! We smell like nice flowers anyways. Just go on and get dressed before mom and dad kill me for bringing you guys late to the town square!" He commanded, his siblings each running into the bedroom they all shared to get dressed.

Thaddeus grabbed a nice looking pair of brown khaki pants and his nicest green plaid shirt with touches of white and brown.

_Good enough, _he thought to himself as he slipped his clothes on in his parent's bedroom. Maple was changing in the bathroom and his brothers had the bedroom.

Looking into the old mirror, he combed his dirty blonde hair, hoping it would dress him up a bit. His blue eyes focused on his reflection, and he shrugged.

Putting on his cleanest boots, he called to his brothers and sister.

It was time to go.

Maple came out in a pretty white dress, and both Jackson and Graham wore something similar to Thaddeus's outfit-just in different colors.

_Brothers think alike,_ he chuckled to himself as he held the door open for everyone to exit.

* * *

Robin rummaged through the small bag of clothes she brought. She couldn't find her dress.

_Where did I put it? Did I even pack it?_

She sincerely hoped she did. Otherwise she'd have nothing to wear for the Reaping, and she definitely would not be _"under the radar"_ if she was wearing her everyday clothes. She groaned in frustration as she realized just that. With the frantic hurry of the morning, the only thing she remembered to pack were her old black flats.

_Great…_

Lydia knocked on the door, and Robin shouted for her to come in.

"You're not dressed yet?" Lydia asked, already donning a baby blue sundress, her brown hair up in a bun.

"You're going to laugh, but I forgot my dress" Robin sat on the bed in resignation.

"That's ok" Lydia smiled, and walked over to the small closet at the far edge of the room. "Here, try this" She tossed a white garment into Robin's lap.

"You are a life-saver, truly Lydia… I don't know how I could do this without you" Robin fingered the soft worn fabric, looking up at her and smiling graciously.

Lydia left her to dress and Robin slipped on the white one-shouldered sundress with hand-stitched pink flowers. It had a nice black strap over her right shoulder that complimented her shoes nicely.

"Vero! Are you ready?" She called, brushing down her long blonde hair somewhat nicely.

"Yeah" She walked in, her little grey button down dress with the lace overlay looking pretty on her.

"You look nice" They said at the same time, giggling.

"Let's go" Robin grabbed Veronica's hand and together they made their way to the town square.

* * *

Cresta Dionatella trudged up on stage, her shoulder-lenght white hair frizzy and silver mascara smudged.

_Oh Panem_, I _had a wild night last night…_

She tried to smile at the audience, but by the audience's lack of enthusiasm, obviously she wasn't doing a good job.

_Yeah, that had to be it._

She fell asleep as the video played, and jolted awake when the final fanfare sounded.

"Boys" She yawned, taking the topmost slip in the jar on her left.

"Thaddeus Hartwidge" she read in a monotone voice.

A young handsome guy walked up on stage, his muddy boots making a trail to the microphone. Had she not been hung-over she might've cared.

"My name is Thaddeus Hartwidge and I am seventeen years old." He looked a bit worried, but other than that he looked like he would get far in the games.

Nice and muscular…

"Girls now…" She stifled another yawn as she reached and fished around in the bowl on her right.

"Robin Santiago… Make your way up on stage"

A young blonde made her way through the crowds, eyes holding a fear so intense that Cresta wondered why she was so scared.

_She was only going into the hunger games, for Panem's sake…_

"My name is Robin Santiago, and I'm 16 years old." She stuttered into the microphone, blue eyes scanning the crowd.

Commotion was hear somewhere, but Cresta just took the tributes and led them away swiftly.

The sooner she got them on the train, the sooner she could get some sleep.

* * *

**Here it is, a bit belated but here nontheless. :)  
.xoxo**

**ps- leave a review on your way out ;)**


	12. District 8 Reapings

"Ben! Wake up! Mom made breakfast!" His little sister, Anna jumped on his bed, full of energy even on a morning like this.

Benjamin Evers groaned in his sleep. His mother always made breakfast on Reaping morning-it was like a family tradition. It was nice, most of the time, since it was the only day a year his mom _could_ make breakfast because all the businesses in town were closed. He knew he should be grateful that his parents owned one of the biggest cloth factories in District 8 –specializing in Capitol-crazed silks and satins mostly.

He had all the material things he needed, even some he didn't, but he still wished his parents could be around more often than one day a year. He rarely saw them- they were at the factory from five in the morning to nine o'clock at night. Because of this, he practically was raising his little sister. Benjamin made breakfast, packed her lunch for school, came home quickly afterschool to start dinner, helped Anna with her homework…

Not that he minded, really, but sometimes he wished he could hang out with Thomason and the others more often. He only hung out with them when Anna was going over to a friend's house, and she did so occasionally so it wasn't so bad.

"Alright, alright…. I'm coming" He murmured into his pillow, releasing a deep breath once his sister scampered out of the room.

Benjamin placed his feet on the cold hardwood floors, the weather already quickly turning a bit brisk to welcome the upcoming autumn. They still had a good month till it was really fall, but temperatures were already getting chilly. It was bound to be a cold winter this year.

He trudged down the staircase, his fuzzy black cloth slippers silencing his footsteps. Once he rounded the corner into the small dining table his mom always served their Reaping breakfast at, he sat down at his usual spot, directly across from his sister. His mom had prepared a hearty breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, and pancakes as well as freshly-squeezed orange juice. Benjamin looked at his plate in front of him, and despite everything, felt a bit guilty. There were a lot of families in District 8 that weren't as fortunate as him and would maybe just eat bread and butter for breakfast. He thanked his situation silently, and proceeded to eat.

His father sighed, running a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. Langston Evers was stressed. The hours at the factory were not only trying, but he feared he would not meet the Capitol's demands for fabric this month. Reaping month was always hard. Often, the work productivity would drop dramatically.

"Dad? Are you okay?" Benjamin asked, a forkful of eggs stopped midway on their path.

Langston Evers smiled forcefully at his son, digging into his untouched breakfast.

"Sure son, everything is fine"

Benjamin nodded apprehensively. He dropped the subject, but he could easily see the worry in his father's brown eyes.

_Sometimes, I wish he could talk to me…_

* * *

Isabella Schist woke up to the sounds of her mom groaning in the living room. She sighed, and got out of bed lazily, walking across the room and going through the curtain that performed its duty as a makeshift door. Her mother was sitting on a wooden chair, holding her protruding stomach in discomfort. Her mother was currently nine months pregnant, and due any day this week. She ultimately hoped that her mother didn't go into labor on this day…

The peacekeepers wouldn't be too happy and the last her family needed was to be targeted by them.

"Morning mom, is the baby okay?" Isabella kneeled down by her mother, her hand coming to rest to where the child was kicking.

"The babe's fine" Her mother gave a tight-lipped strained smile. "He's just itching to get out"

Isabella frowned a bit. The new baby was going to cause a lot more money-issues in their family. It was hard enough for her father to sustain three people, and now they were adding another hungry member to the family. He spent almost sixteen hours slaving away at the silk factory, waking up every morning at four o'clock to get to work by four thirty and came home at eight thirty each night –sometimes ten if he stayed late.

At age fifteen her name would be in the reaping bowl twelve times, having been taking out tesserae since she became of Reaping age. It was a small way for her to help her parents, and twelve wasn't that bad. She knew friends whose names would be in there triple the amount of times.

"Do you want a cup of hot tea, mom? Do you think that would help a bit?"

Her mother nodded, closing her eyes.

Isabella walked into their shabby kitchen, which really only was a small wooden counter, an old icebox, and a cooking hearth in the wall. She took out some chamomile from the herb jar, and put some to boil with water on the hearth. She lit the fire carefully, not wanting to singe her eyebrows off like she did when she was thirteen.

Her stomach grumbled, but she still put their last piece of bread onto a small chipped saucer. She removed the pot of water and poured some of the hot tea into an old mug, and then served herself the remaining tea.

She made her way over to her mother, whose eyes were still closed, and carefully handed her the saucer with bread and mug of tea.

She thanked her with her grey eyes, Isabella smiling honestly when she saw her mother enjoy the small piece of bread. She knew the baby though, wanted far more and was saddened by the fact that there wasn't any more.

Her stomach growled again, filling the empty silence with its startling sound. Her mother looked into her daughter's silver grey eyes, noticing for the first time that she hasn't had anything to eat, and probably won't before the Reaping begins.

"I'm sorry"

* * *

"Where are you going, Ben?" His mother called as he tried to tiptoe out the door.

He debated on whether or not to answer for a second.

"Out?" He responded tentatively.

His mother appeared at the top of the stairs, hips cocked to one side and arms crossed.

"With who?" She asked

Benjamin shrugged, knowing that her mom didn't really approve of his choice of friends.

"I asked you a question, Benjamin" She glared at him, her overprotective side stepping out of the shadows.

"Thomason, and some others" He murmured, cringing a bit as his mom shook her head.

"I told you I don't like those boys" She began. "They are of a… how do you say?_ Different situation"_

Her mom believed strongly in not mixing classes. She saw him befriending what she called "unfortunate boys" and she did not like it – Wealthy kids should be friends with the other wealthy children, it was easier to relate that way.

But she didn't understand. Benjamin never felt at home here…Sure he had lots of nice things but, there was no "home" feeling, no comfort. Everything had to be taken great care of, or else it had to be replaced. Sometimes he felt that he had to really care for himself, for fear his parents throw him out and buy another son. Money didn't solve everything.

"They're people, mom" the fifteen-year old retorted quietly.

"_Not our people_"

Benjamin shook his head, and headed out the door anyways.

_Maybe not your people, but they sure are mine…_

He weaved himself through the upper side city streets, taking shortcuts through yards and shops until he was able to reach the south blocks – the city slums.

Thomason lived in a very homey cottage at the end, near the electric fences. He tried to act inconspicuous in his lightly worn cargos and stain-free white shirt, but still stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the people who were outside, plowing small gardens in dirty boots.

He came to a faded blue house, the thatched roof probably still leaking from the rain of the night before. Benjamin knocked, the raw wood echoing a hollow sound.

"It's Ben!" He heard Thomason call from the inside before opening the door.

Instantly, as soon as he walked in he felt at home. The hard bench that functioned as a couch was comfortable, the warm fire enveloping the room in a hazy glow contrasting from the gloomy weather outside. Thomason's mother had a babe on her hip, her hand-me-down soft green smock creating a bubble of color as she heated some tea on the hearth. Thomason's baby brother, Gregory toddled around on the plank floors, barely three years old. The toddler waddled over to Benjamin, and gave him a toothy smile, hands joining together in a couple of claps.

"Ben!" He giggled, and was instantly picked up by Thomason who began to tickle him mercilessly.

Benjamin smiled, knowing that this was a home…A true one.

* * *

Isabella walked out of her little house, which was more like a shack but nevertheless was her home, holding a tattered bag filled with small socks. She usually took advantage of Reaping Day to sell as much as she could, and she usually did too, since all the other stores were closed. Isabella made her way to the center of town, sitting down in a small bench overlooking the blocks of closed stores. There were still a lot of people wandering through town, visiting their families and friends before the Reaping began.

Spending quality time just in case…

She took out a couple of pastel colored yarn socks, and began her usual routine of selling.

"Warm socks for the upcoming winter! Low prices!" She called, holding up a pair of lilac yarn baby socks, trying to catch the attention of anyone who passed by.

She'd been making makeshift clothing since her eight birthday, when she realized that even a few spare coins made the difference between starving and going at night without her stomach pressing against her spine. At barely five foot two and hardly one-hundred pounds, she was malnourished.

Not a lot like other kids she knew, but she was still one of them.

Sometimes she felt that other districts disregarded the really poor side of District 8 because they were usually overshadowed by the wealthier side-all the factory owners. The truth is, the poor in her district, were really poor. At least 9 out of 10 kids signed on for tesserae a year.

The ones reaped naturally were the ones with more siblings, more mouths to feed, more people affected when they were killed. She knew of families whose babies died before they turned one because of starvation. The long hours at the factory didn't bring in much income.

That morning, the sells had been slower than usual.

_A tough year ahead…_

"Warm socks for the winter! Low prices! All sizes!" She called, a smile of relief on her face as a woman with a couple of kids surrounding her legs stopped and handed her some coins in exchange for a pair of blue toddler socks.

So far that totaled a sale of one…

She stayed put for a couple of more hours, selling only two more pairs. When she was getting ready to pack up, she heard her name being called. She flipped her short reddish-brown hair upwards to get a better look at the source of the voice. Her silver eyes met a familiar pair of brown ones.

"Ben. Hey" She smiled slightly. Benjamin Evers was the son of the owner of the factory her father worked for. They were in the same grade at school, but didn't really ever talk much.

"Here" Benjamin said, his brown hair falling into his eyes as he handed her a couple of coins. "Do you have a pink girl's pair?"

She nodded, and gave him his purchase.

"Thanks" He said, before walking away.

"Good luck at the Reaping!" She called after him.

"You too, Isabella"

* * *

Benjamin Evers got home at around forty minutes to twelve, given his little sister a simple token of fuzzy yarn pink socks, and received a strong talking to from his father.

He hadn't listened much, if he were to be truly honest. They'd had this conversation many times.

"_Your mother wants the best for this family, Benjamin. You know that"_

He'd stopped listening a long time ago.

He loved his parents, he did. But that didn't mean he had to agree with their views. He was growing up and he felt entitled to his own opinion. Benjamin didn't tell his father that, of course. He'd realize eventually as time passed that the reason he was so headstrong was because he was just like him.

After a warm shower, he dressed for the reaping- black dress pants, a starch white pale blue collared shirt and his newest pair of black leather shoes his mom had shined for the Reaping.

He adjusted his collar in the mirror as his sister walked in, wearing a simple pink sundress, unfazed because she was still under Reaping age.

"Mom told me to get you. We're about to head out" She leaned on the door frame, and Benjamin nodded, sending her on her way.

He took a deep breath, and then proceeded to walk down the stairs.

_Just like every other year… There will be nothing different about this Reaping…_

* * *

Isabella made her way on home after she packed up her items and stowed her profit away in a small pouch beneath her shirt. When she arrived, she found her mother fast asleep on the same chair she had been in before she left. Her father was up, drinking some water by the kitchen – his face lined with stubble and his hands trembling slightly from his previous injuries at the factory. He absentmindedly rubbed his wrists, wincing a bit before laying his brown eyes on his daughter, instantly replacing the grimace on his face for a kind smile as she embraced him.

"I made a couple of coins today" Isabella said, handing him her money pouch.

"Did you have anything to eat?" He asked, stroking her hair.

She nodded. It was better to lie to him.

"Good" He ruffled her hair, and went over to his wife. He kneeled down much like she had done in the morning, kissing her forehead. Her mother woke up, her eyes a bit groggy as she caressed her husband's cheek and placed his hand on her belly.

Isabella closed the curtain to her small bedroom so not to disturb their happy bubble, and started to get ready for the Reaping. She wore her mom's old floral skirt she used to wear before the pregnancy – the faded green one that used to swish around her legs as she walked around the house- and tan blouse she had sewn for herself last summer. She slipped into an old pair of sandals she had adorned with colored beads years before. Her hair lay limp on her shoulders, not much to do with it anyways.

A couple minutes later, she made her way to the town square, walking besides her love-strung parents and feeling comfortable despite what the day represented.

* * *

Marble Frenzy chewed on his long acrylic gold nails as he waited for the Capitol Video to finish. His feet tapped on the wooden floor impatiently. This video was a waste of time. Everyone already knew District 13 was gone…

Boom

Bang

History

That's what these kids had school for. The Reaping was for something much more fun.

When the annoying video played it's final tune, he pranced up on stage, his blue eyelids fluttering at the audience as he flashed a million-dollar smile.

"It's time!" He sang, "How about we start with our lovely girlies!" He reached into the glass bowl on his right, using his shimmery gold claws to dig through it. He picked a slip and then read the name out loud.

"Isabella Schist! Congratulations girlie!" He clapped, noticing a short, and scrawny girl make her way on stage.

Her owlish eyes looked out at the crowd before she spoke into the microphone gingerly, apparently still in shock of holding this enormous honor.

"My name is Isabella Schist and I am fifteen years old"

Marble snatched the microphone from her and smiled at crowd again.

"Isn't she cute?" He stroked her hair. "Now onto my boys!" he reached into the bowl on the left, pulling out a slip.

"Benjamin Evers" He read, surprised to see a gangly, well-fed boy make his way up on stage. He looked absolutely terrified.

He noticed Isabella look at the floor as the boy approached the microphone.

"My name is Benjamin Evers and I am fourteen years old"

Marble Frenzy smiled at the crowd again, herding his tributes back, and posing for the people –blowing kisses and promising to see them the next year.

"It's been lovely, you all!"

* * *

**Sorry for not updating this over the week, school work kinda took over :/**

**Hopefully this upcoming week won't be as busy :)**

** .xoxo**


	13. District 9 Reapings

Archibald Rastabyer fidgeted under a soggy, scratchy wool blanket on top of a large, squared industrial garbage can. His once platinum blonde hair lay limp with grease on top of his head, the color now faded to a dull yellow. It stuck out in a million directions, and as he shifted, he gnawed on his bottom lip with his large front teeth.

His dreams revolved around dark topics –driving him mad from the inside out. His sister's headless corpse spilling blood over the cornucopia taunted his mind, filling his nostrils with the rusty smell of the burgundy life liquid. His parents hanging from the gallows in the town square swung from side to side in the coming darkness, the image distorting itself until Archibald pictured himself gnawing at the flesh of his step-uncle, tasting the only thing in Panem that felt real.

People tasted nice.

With that lovely thought in his brain, he opened his deep set grey eyes. He laughed as he took in his surroundings. Laughed at his stolen wool blanket; laughed at the walls encasing the alley in which he was in. He snorted and hiccupped, the sounds emanating from his mouth probable to cause someone to get shivers up their smile.

He bounced out onto the floor of the alley, eyes scanning the empty streets as he searched for breakfast. Since it was still relatively early in the morning, and being the Reaping and all, the streets of District 9 were lifelessly empty.

Not a soul.

Archibald shrugged, walking to a nearby trash bin outside of a business. He stuck his bony, scarred arm inside, fingers prodding at various mystery substances until they closed on something familiar. He brought the loaf of bread, slightly green with mold, to his face and took a long whiff.

His tongue lolled out of his mouth, salivating onto his breakfast. He stuffed the bread into his mouth, his sharp canines ripping the loaf while he simultaneously devoured it, using both hands to stuff the entire bread loaf into his mouth as he emanated growls.

A mother and daughter walked by him, a couple yards away into the yellow street. The little girl held her mother's hand, light blue frock swirling around her legs as her short legs struggled to catch up with her mother's quick pace. The little girl's mother met his gaze for a long second, eyes instantly opening wide in fear as she clutched her daughter to her body.

Archibald smiled at them, tongue still out of his mouth, eyes bulging and sharp teeth on visible access. He started towards them, already thinking of lunch. The mother instantly picked up the toddler and started running back from the direction they came from.

A chase… Archibald liked chases.

He took off after them, his lopsided gallop both equally amusing and frightful. The little girl was crying, and as he rounded the corner…

They were gone…

His shoulder's slumped, lip pouting as he thought of his lost meal.

Guess he would have to go to his step-uncle's for a meal before the Reaping… He couldn't wait to see who was getting reaped.

_Blood… So much blood…_

* * *

Wren North woke up hunched over the small manual sewing machine, her shoulders stiff from holding the awkward position the entire night. Her jade green eyes blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the early morning light seeping in from the sun-streaked curtains. She yawned, stretching out her back and taming her wild red curls down a bit. Wren looked about their humble living room, looking for her mom and finding her already in the kitchen –the smells of cooked oatmeal traveled to her nostrils, her belly grumbling.

"I heard that" Her mother chuckled, adding some cinnamon to the pot on the gas stove. Wren rolled her eyes playfully, and she moved to get up from the chair in which she sat. It was all good until her foot got tangled in one of the chair's legs and her body catapulted to the floor. She prevented herself from face-planting into the raggedy carpet floor by laying her hands on it as soon as she fell.

She groaned as she dusted herself off and walked to the kitchen. Her mother gave her a knowing smile and handed her a bowl of her special family recipe. Though oatmeal didn't sound so exciting, her mother's dish created a whole new meaning. Decadent rich grains made perfectly with a touch of ginger and cinnamon, the oatmeal was delicious.

"One of these days, I'll teach you the recipe." Her mom said, pouring some into another two bowls –one for Wren's dad and one for her. She sat down at the kitchen table, across from her daughter who was already wolfing down the meal.

"Careful, you'll get a stomachache at the reaping" Her mother admonished, and Wren consequentially slowed her pace.

"It's just so good" She replied, smiling at her mom.

"It'll last longer if you take your time" Her mom chuckled.

"Most things do" Her father appeared at the doorway, and Wren took his appearance in. His dark hair was thinning, and there was a nervous jitter in his hands – something that happened every Reaping and got worse as Wren got older. Her name would be in the reaping bowl 8 times instead of five. They had had a really bad year when the grain in his dad's factory was infected with maggots. The entire district had almost collapsed. Her father's factory was not the only one whose grain was damaged.

"Good morning Dad" Wren said, relaxing a bit as she her father sit down with them and give them a smile.

"This is delicious, Nora" Her dad kissed her mom's cheek, and she flushed.

Wren made a silent prayer that her family wouldn't change, and that the Reaping this year would go as smoothly as all the others. She was her parent's only child- if they lost her…. Wren didn't like to think about that.

_Please don't let my name be called…_

* * *

The silence that stretched between Archibald and his step-uncle was as vast as the distances between them. His uncle sat at the opposite end of the long dinner table in which Archibald was seated. His uncle moved the meager meal around with his fork a bit- nervous even being that far away from his deceased step-sister's son. Archibald's head was in his plate, his sharp teeth tearing away at his food in an animal-like manner.

_He was an animal_…

A couple of months before, Archibald had tried to kill him…with his teeth.

Archibald swallowed the remnants of the meal, a look in his eyes that was wild and untamed. He looked hungrily at his uncle, debating on whether or not he should indulge in another meal.

_Nah… He feeds me once in a while._

Then his mind wandered to the scars lashed on his back, his uncle's belt and the peacekeeper's whip all intertwined into a massive canvas of hurt and dementia.

He flashed a smile at his uncle, his teeth still holding a bit of food – no meat though…there was hardly ever any meat…

"Archibald…Stop" His uncle demanded, instantly recognizing the look in his eyes…

His nephew smiled wider, getting up off of his chair and leaning onto the dining table, dirty fingernails engraving themselves into the oak wood. He started to crawl menacingly on the table, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. His uncle jumped up from the table, running into his small bedroom and shutting the door tight with a small chair. He caught his breath against the door, his heart threatening to jump out of his heart. He should have never tried to discipline Archibald… It was his fault he had turned into this… Monster.

Archibald leaped off the table and pounced on the door, making growling noises and scraping away at the door. He shook the door handle crazily, balancing himself so that his feet were also implanted on the door. He tugged, yelling out in anger as the door didn't budge.

His uncle on the other side of the door, held the chair in place, his knuckled turning white from the effort. He looked around his small bedroom for another escape, his eyes settling on the window. If he let go of the chair he would have just enough time to open it and run out of it. But the years had been hard on him, and even if he made it out of the house, Archibald was smart enough to figure out where he had gone… It would only be a matter of seconds either way.

He decided to go for it. He let go of the chair, opening the latch on his window and running into the streets as fast as his forty-nine year old legs would allow him.

Archibald tore down the door, landing on the floor on all fours as he directed his attention to the open window. Grinning from ear to ear he walked to the window, meeting his step-uncles eyes as he tried to run.

He tilted his head to the side, and in one swift movement, closed the curtains.

* * *

"Mom, can I go visit Yvette?" Wren sat cross-legged on their couch, looking up from the tan dress she was embroidering for the Reaping. She was stitching a few precious lace details to the bottom of the hem- the lace from her mom's wedding dress.

"Are you done with that?" Her mom looked up from her sewing machine, signaling with her chin to Wren's handy work.

"I will be in a minute" Wren replied, her eyes smiling.

"Then I don't see why not" She returned to her work, manually handling the machine.

They didn't actually need the extra money, her dad's salary was enough. But her mother liked to help people, and coming from a long line of seamstresses, sewing was in her blood. She and Wren mostly patched up clothing, or fixed hems or stuff like that for the poorer residents of District 9. Her mother charged very little, and sometimes, if the family was really struggling, would do it for an IOU.

Wren sang softly as she finished pinning the last bit of lace into her Reaping dress.

"_Are you goin' to Scarborough Fair? _

_Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme._

_Remember me to one who lives there , _

_she once was a true love of mine._

_Tell her to make me a cambric shirt_

_Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme _

_Without no seams nor needlework _"

"_Then she'll be a true love of mine_" Her mother finished, grinning as her daughter sang the song of their English-Irish heritage.

_Way back when the World had many continents…_

She had taught Wren the song when she had been very little, just like her own mother had done, and her mother's mother and so on.

Wren draped her dress over the couch, bent over to kiss her mom on her forehead and headed out the door to go to Yvette's. She walked a little down their dirt road, the yellow of barley and wheat peeking out from in between houses signaling the start of the harvest season. She knocked on a little green house not far from hers, and waited patiently while her best friend made it to the door.

"Hey Wren, come on in" Yvette answered, holding the door open for her friend. Yvette's hair was already done for the Reaping, her waist long blonde locks decorated daintily with a waterfall wrap-around braid. Her golden corn silk mane contrasted greatly to Wren's unruly red curls that sprang in every direction and sometimes, being a teenage girl, she felt so jealous towards her best friend, who was both naturally pretty and the baker's eldest daughter….

"There's freshly baked bread on the table if you want some"

But Yvette was so nice, the feeling never lasted long. She was the closest thing she had to a sister, and growing up as a single child in District 9, where there are so many large families, was hard.

"Hey Yvette?" Wren called tentatively.

She turned to face her, and automatically stuck out her pinky. Wren wrapped her own pinky finger around hers and smiled. Yvette had always been good at reading her mind.

"Sisters forever" Yvette and Wren whispered.

* * *

Archibald Rastabyer stayed for a long time at his Uncle's house. At a quarter to twelve he moved from his position on his bed, and moved to his closet. He wanted to look nice for today's Reaping after all…

He opened the shabby closet, moving instinctively to the back –to the stuff that his precious uncle never wore. He made a mocking sound as he found the flashy pink button-down from probably forty-Reapings ago, and swore softly as his finger got caught in the closet hinge.

He sighed, all his uncle's clothes were a bit too… too..

_Too clean…_

He left the house, people eyeing him warily and clutching their young ones to their bodies as he passed by them. He walked out of the dirt streets and into the cobble stone avenues in the empty city downtown. Archibald eyed a dumpster outside of a clothing store meaningfully, and softly laughing maniacally to himself, he walked towards it. He dug his hand inside the dumpster, pleased when he felt a soft material.

Taking it out he noticed it was a pair of light blue trousers, extremely faded and a little too big, but they would do. He changed into them quickly, keeping his dirty sweater on.

_Good enough…Maybe I'll catch me a meal on the way out of there…_

* * *

Wren had a good time at Yvette's, but within a few hours, she had to go home and get ready for the Reaping. She walked the distance quickly, hoping that her mom would have time to somehow tame her hair. She knew it was a bit vain, but all the girls at school would look their best, and it was only natural she would want to as well.

She got home at around eleven, and took a quick shower in their small bathroom. Dressing herself in her simple tan frock with the new lace details, she actually felt quite pretty. Her feet were adorned with the new pair of sandals her dad had gifted her –the ones with the little golden leaves on the straps. Wren sat herself down in her mom's wooden vanity and looked at her hair.

_What do I do with this…._

"Mom!" She called, and like magic, she appeared in the doorway, putting on her tiny metal earrings.

"Can you help me?" Wren asked, her sixteen years of experience doing nothing to her ability to tame her hair.

Her mother chuckled, and with gentle hands, began to fix her daughter up.

* * *

Felicia Goldennut stared nervously out at the crowd. She bit her cherry-red lips accidentally as her teeth quivered.

She was soooo nervous…

Her knees wobbled as she gargled on during her introduction, and her hands were sweating profusely. She wiped them on her red cashmere skirt repeatedly, silently uttering a prayer as the Capitol video began.

It was her first year as an escort, and she had no idea what to expect. She had just graduated from the Escort's college a few weeks before and because the last District 9 escort was apparently with child, she had been sent in as a replacement.

_Boy, I hope I'm doing ok…_

When the video was over, she shyly walked over to the microphone and tapped on it once to make sure it was still on.

"Um… Excuse me… I'll…um just go pick a boy" she laughed once, and reached for the nearest slip in the bowl to her left.

She cleared her throat before reading the name –_Boy it was a long name…_

"Archibald Rastabyer" She announced, and a vast silence settled over the crowd. She spotted a mangy looking boy jump out from the shadows, a creepy smirk on his face as he jumped on stage. He strutted over to her, and inhaled her scent deeply, tongue lapping out.

Felicia cringed, and looked at the crowd for any sort of direction.

One by one, the people began to clap… It was the oddest thing.

"My name… You all know my name" He laughed psychotically " fifteen years old" He cackled as he rubbed his hands together.

"Alright…then umm…Ladies now" She reached into the bowl on her right, digging deep into it.

"Wren North" She read, pleased to see a clean looking girl walk to the stage. She honestly looked more terrified of Archibald than anything… Considering she was going to be sent into the Hunger Games…

"My name is Wren North, and I am sixteen years old" She never took her eyes off of the boy, the terror clear in her jade eyes.

* * *

**Okay this chapter is super belated but I'm trying to get them out as fast as I can. If I don't update for a while, don't worry I haven't abandoned this story, it's just taking me longer to write the chapters. Hopefully I still have readers lol**

**This chapter was actually really hard to write -probably the hardest so far...**

** .xoxo**


	14. Another Author's Note READ!

This is not a chapter... I know, shame on me for getting you all so excited.

I know that D10 Reaping Chapter has been taking forever, and it's almost done... 3/4ths of the way I promise.

I just didn't want you all to think that I've abadoned the story, I've had a really busy couple of weeks.

To start off, I am realy sick with a horrible cold and was trying to get better in time for homecoming. (which is today for me, and I am glad to say that though I'm not 100% well yet, I have regained my sense of smell, my voice on the other hand-still a bit foggy)

And add up a couple of papers and essays for class, I barely have had time to write. I hope to post the new chapter asap (tomorrow night or Monday night)

.xoxo


	15. District 10 Reapings

Sounds of livestock awakening dispersed through their small house. The echoing call of cows and bulls bounced off surfaces, reaching the ears of Nyall Tusway. He shifted his position on the blue and white tartan couch, pulling his wool blanket up to cover his head. It did not effectively block out the sounds though, just made him unbearably hot. So he gave up, and kicked the blanket off, his deep-set blue eyes trying to adjust to the daylight streaming in from the open backyard door. Groggily, he stretched his taut muscles, groaning as his feet found the floor, propelling himself upwards and out into the green.

His older brother Nate stood way out in the field, herding their handful of livestock out farther into their lands – hoping that they would take a hint and move to where there were more grasses for them to munch on. His brother and him looked a lot alike – both had the same tousled dark bronze hair, their mother's ocean blue eyes, same strong build… The only really apparent difference was that his brother had already passed the six feet mark, standing at 6'2, while Nyall still had room to grow in his 5'11 frame.

"Good morning" Nate said, having successfully brought their animals where he wanted them.

"Morning" Nyall yawned, looking sleepily at his nineteen year old sibling.

"Breakfast time?" Nate joked, and Nyall nodded.

They went back inside their little wood house, which was of course quite modest, but comfortable. Nate, naturally, led the way, holding their screen door open for his brother. Once in the kitchen, they settled into a familiar rhythm – Nyall took out their two mismatched, lightly scratched plates and cups, and Nate reached into their vintage refrigerator and took out a loaf of bread and their homemade churned butter. He placed those on their quaint table, going back to fetch the pitcher of fresh milk. Having cows in the backyard was a huge benefit. They would never run out of milk, cheese, and butter, things they both knew some districts had little commodity of.

They considered themselves pretty lucky. Both brothers had never gone to bed hungry… at least in a while. Things started to look up when their father was thrown into prison the year before after being caught stealing and lied about it to the Peacekeepers. They wouldn't have to worry about him retaliating against them again for a long time. He wasn't quite right in the head—never had been since their mother died from a Malaria outbreak soon after Nyall's ninth birthday. He started to beat him after that.

But, they didn't have to worry about that at all…

"So…You ask someone to the Rodeo Ball?" Nate smirked at his brother, munching on bread thoughtfully.

"No, not yet, but as always _I've been asked_" Nyall laughed.

"Really?" Nate leaned across the table "By whom?"

"A couple girls though…Not_ the girl _though" Nyall sighed.

"Althea? You need to let her go. She's an older woman, bro. Plus, she's way out of your leage"

"Shut up, Nate. Gosh, aren't you too busy making lovey-dovey eyes at Sierra to notice anyways?"

Nate shrugged. "See, but the difference is, I asked Sierra to the Ball, and she said yes." He winked at his brother before getting up, leaving a frustrated Nyall at the table to mill over how exactly to ask Althea to the dance.

* * *

The stench of bloodied meat filled her nostrils as she walked into the shed in the back of the farm. Althea Winters exhaled, upset at having to come in at dawn that morning even though it was the Reaping. All the other businesses were closed, but since her job was at a small cow farm, the owners could get away with making the workers come in to work that morning. The one good thing to arise out of all this was that school was closed, which meant that she wouldn't have to stay on the farm and work until late hours to make up for her morning absence. The owners weren't horrible people though, they understood she was in the process of finishing her studies, but they still had a farm to run. Being the youngest worker, she was also given the hardest task – and probably the most exhausting emotionally.

She had to slaughter the cows. It was a great pleasure…

So that was where she was at that morning – at the slaughter house.

_Oh joy…_

Her hazel eyes skimmed over the defenseless creature, tied up to the slaughter post. The cow grazed the hay strew about, completely unaware that by this time tomorrow, its body would be scattered across Panem in numbers of steaks. Tying back her wavy red hair into a messy bun on top of her head, she stalked over to where the machetes were kept. Grabbing the heaviest one, she slowly began sharpening the blade, making sure that the cow's neck would come off in one clean sweep. Althea didn't want to make the animal suffer any more than it had to. It wouldn't be humane.

After being satisfied that the blade was especially razor sharp, she sighed, trying to compose her emotions and calm the shaking in her hands that appeared whenever she was to take a life. Since she started working at the farm over a year before, she had murdered over two hundred cows…

_What's one more?_

That was her logic.

She positioned herself next to the large animal, flinching when the it looked at her with its sad dumb eyes. She exhaled sharply, and taking in a deep breath and holding it, swung the machete down on the main arteries of its thick neck. Blood spurted out, a lot of it getting in her floor-length apron and her lightly marred wrists. The head of the beast fell to the floor, eyes still wide open and tongue peeking out. Acting quickly, she grabbed the chains nailed to the roof and hooked them onto the beast's back before the whole body crumpled to the floor. She did so successfully, and when the cow's corpse collapsed on the blood stained hay, Althea was already making her way over to the machinery on the side. Pressing a button, the chains began to lift the cow up into the roof with all the other corpses, and on her way out the slaughter house, she made sure to dodge the drips of blood that cascaded from the ceiling.

They would be ready for the next step come early evening.

* * *

After breakfast, Nyall Tusway decided to go for a walk – maybe meet his friends or something. They lived quite far away from town though, so he needed to make sure that he wasn't gone for too long. It was the Reaping after all, and everyone knew the consequences of being late.

A public whipping…

He hadn't witnessed many that he remembered; the peacekeepers were pretty nonchalant about a lot of things that in other districts would require punishment. Stealing, however, was pretty high on the list in regards to receiving punishment. Last year, the beautiful red-headed Althea had gone through that. He didn't really talk to her much, but he knew from friends of friends that her family had been going through heavy money problems at the time, since her older brother had started his apprenticeship. She had apparently been caught trying to steal food from a neighboring farm, and was whipped on her wrists as a penalty. Next thing he knew she had started working alongside her mom. To be honest, Nyall hadn't really seen much of her in school. She was a grade higher than him, and she missed classes a lot… from what he was hearing anyways.

It was a shame. He really thought that this year would be the year to make a move on her…

But since he never saw her, well…let's just say that plan just turned to bull crap…

"Hey Nyall" Liliana smiled from her porch as he walked past her house, her black raven hair waving in the slight breeze.

He smiled back, giving her a wink before he sped off in the direction of his friend Marcus's house out at the edge of his dirt lane.

Not to be narcissistic or anything, but he always had a girl to fall back on if the Althea thing didn't work out… But it will, at least he hoped. Althea was a pretty hard girl to figure out.

He had never talked to her, but still. She seemed hard to figure out.

Nyall walked up to Marcus's house, but before he could knock, a familiar blonde head popped out of the door, a glass of sweet tea in one hand.

"Welcome to the party dude!" Marcus pulled him in, and to his surprise the house was packed. He recognized a few faces in the crowd—couple girls he had flirted with, a couple he had dated, his circle of friends in the corners, and a few other people he'd seen around school.

"What are we celebrating?" Nyall asked, grabbing a glass of sweet tea.

"We're alive, man. For some us, it'll be our last Reaping—whether we are expecting it or not"

* * *

By the time she was allowed to leave the farm, it was already mid-morning. Althea was in the process of trying to get home as quickly as possible when a familiar voice caused her to halt in her steps.

"Althea! Hey, I was looking for you!" Tammy Golding, her best friend and possibly the only person who truly understood her and also didn't judge her for her work. She bounced out of her house, conveniently the one next door to Althea's. They had been neighbors and best friends since she could remember, which probably was since they were both born. Tammy's blonde shoulder-length hair was up in a messy bun, and as she made her way over to her friend, her bun began to fall lower and lower, until her hair sprung free from its bonds.

"Hey Tammy" Althea laughed, running a hand over her head to smoothen out her red mane.

"The third-years are having a party down the street. We still have time if you wanna crash." She leaned in and scrunched her nose. "But first you need a bath, you reek of uncooked meat"

Althea made a face at her friend, and then shook her head.

"I don't think so. Not today, I think I'm gonna go take that bath and then just rest a bit. I'm tired"

Tammy shrugged, hands on her hips.

"Kay, if you change your mind let me know, there's no use of me going without you—it wouldn't be half as fun anyways" she squeezed her shoulder and started back towards the house. "Meet me in the town square for the Reaping!" she shouted over her shoulder.

"Will do!" Althea shouted back, sighing as she crossed over into the paved pathway to her front door. Walking in, her ears picked up the sounds of a baby's wail, and her nose inhaled the scent of medicinal herbs wafting in from their kitchen. Her brother must be working on one of his new acquired recipes and her sister in law—well obviously she wasn't taking great care of their child.

Things had gotten pretty rough for them in the past year. They had actually been pretty decently off financially before her dear brother Tanner decided to get hitched with Massy. He'd taken on a hard internship with the town apothecary –one with no pay and that required all his time—and shortly after their marriage came baby Olivia.

And soon afterwards it was goodbye fun, hello job at the meat farm.

But she did it because her family needed her, and though Massy refused to work because of the baby, they got along ok—always had food on the table, never let anyone go hungry.

Althea found out over time that being able to feed your family was one of the most important aspects of life. Keep them healthy and hope not to get Reaped for the games…Her family couldn't afford it.

* * *

Nyall managed to sneak away from the party earlier than anyone else, opening and shutting the front door in a blink of an eye. He loved his friends, he loved to party… But he wanted to see if he could find Althea before she started to prep for the Reaping.

He wasn't obsessed… He just, really liked her—like a lot.

Nyall speed-walked down Althea's street—having to cut through some small backyards in order to get there. In the end, it was for nothing, since he spotted her golden red headed self walking into her house. He wasn't about to knock on the front door.

He would just have to ask her later about the Rodeo Ball; After the Reaping for sure.

Disappointed, he began to walk back the way he came from. He cut through the same backyards thankfully unnoticed and when he turned on his street, heard the sounds of Marcus's house party and confirmed his suspicions that it was still going on. He better not be late to the Reaping, he could be whipped for that.

Once home, he immersed himself in the bath his brother had set out for him—a decent sized washtub inside their comfortable bathroom. They had a shower, but it had recently stopped working…Tomorrow afterschool Nate and him would check the pipes, maybe they were clogged or something.

The water was lukewarm, and the house was empty, so he figured Nate went to go see Sierra before the Reaping—it was her last year. After soaking for about fifteen minutes, Nyall got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his waist.

Ten minutes later, he was dressed and spruced up as much as possible for the Reaping. Nyall fixed the collar of his blue and green flannel shirt, making sure his navy tee-shirt underneath was positioned correctly. His tan slacks dressed up the flannel, and with his cleanest pair of boots, he looked like the average District 10 teenage boy. No crisp white shirts and shiny black shoes in this district; it was much too dusty and hot outside for it.

He ran a hand through his dark bronze curls, and called it a day before walking out the door and into the streets to join the throngs of people making their way to the town square.

* * *

Althea hugged the towel to her body, contemplating how exactly she would remove the stain of baby barf from her original Reaping dress—a light pink taffeta sun-dress that was worn by her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother as a good luck charm for their last Reaping. How exactly baby Olivia had gotten to her dress, she did not know, but she had a pretty good idea. Massy had taken to collecting "scraps of clothing" from her closet to use as towels for her little girl, and Althea guessed that she had grabbed the dress to use as a towel, realized what it was, but before she could put it back, Olivia acted sporadically and vomited onto the cloth. Not Massy's fault, but still…Her sister-in-law shouldn't be going through her closet.

"Mom, what am I going to wear?" Althea looked at her mom, whose expression was forlorn, holding the taffeta dress in her hands.

"Massy?" her mom called, and her sister-in-law appeared in the doorway, fine blond hair tied up and baby Olivia as always on her shoulder.

"Do you have anything for Althea to wear?"

Massy immediately shook her head, an appalled expression in her eyes. "No, we're not the same size." With that, she departed quickly.

Althea sighed.

_Naturally…_

"It's ok, mom. I'll just wear what I wore to last year's Reaping."

"No, that's bad luck. I have my old wedding dress you can wear" her mother walked out before Althea could protest, and came back holding the simple white cotton dress. It was strapless with a natural waist, and would come down to about her knees.

Her mother left, and she put it on. It felt weird, wearing her mom's wedding dress. It was supposed to be _her_ wedding dress as well… But she guessed that changed. Her mom came back minutes later to do her hair, braiding it into the traditional French-braid down her back that all her grandmothers and mother had paired with the taffeta dress. She wove in a piece of lace for luck, and pinned the traditional leaf brooch onto her waist.

"You look beautiful" Her brother Tanner said from the doorway, and Althea smiled.

"It was just a dress, right?" she replied.

* * *

Cinder Ella posed for the country crowd in front of her. She flaunted her cowboy hat with the diamond tiara to hope to gain their attention. If that didn't do it, her Swarovski crystal boots would do it—or her hot pink thigh-length dress with the diamond bodice.

She was flashy. She loved flashy. She embraced flashy.

It was her fourth year as an escort, her second escorting District 10. The last two years, she had been escorting district 11. Fun people…

She stepped to the side as the capitol video rolled, her boots sparkling onto the projector screen, and she smiled—her diamonds at the edge of her eyes glinting even more. She was born to shine, and make other people shine too.

As soon as the video finished, she walked up on stage, gave everyone a million watt smile (her two front teeth had little diamonds on the center) and proceeded with the Reaping.

"Let's begin with my cowgirls!" She reached into the bowl on her right, her Swarovski detailed nails digging around before drawing a slip.

"Althea Winters! Such a fabulous name!" She watched in enthusiasm as a very pretty girl from the 18 year old section walked up on stage, a mixed look of emotions on her face. Disbelief?

"My name is Althea Winters, and I am 18 years old" her voice did not waver.

Cinder Ella patted her shoulder and reached into the bowl on her left.

"Now, for my cowboys, the lucky winner is… Nyall Tusway!"

A young man went up the stairs to the makeshift stage, his flannel shirt flying a bit in the country breeze.

"My name is Nyall Tusway, and I am 17 years old" his eyes were fixed on Althea, while the girl looked out into the people.

_That's a bit odd,_ Cinder Ella thought.

* * *

**I know, it's SUPER late. But life kinda went crazy for a while. Hopefully it was worth it. I'm going to start working on D11 right away so maybe it won't take so long **

** .xoxo**


End file.
